Studies On The Water Soluble Polysaccharides From Chinese Jujube

Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) belonging to the genus Ziziphus Mill. (Rhamnaceae) is used as a traditional Chinese medicine and invigorant. It has activities of sedation, nourishing blood, antitumor effect, immuno-modulability, etc. Being as super edible food and traditional Chinese medicine, its systemic studies, exploitation & utilization were still in primary stage. Chinese jujube contains rich sugars, triterpenoids and their glycosides, together with other compenents including flavonoids, phenitic acids and vitamins etc. The chemical components research especially polysaccharides research was at lower level. To identify characterization of the structure, immunological and antitumor activities of water soluble polysaccharides from Chinese jujube fruits, a systemically research on water soluble polysaccharides from Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. jinsixiaozao fruit was carried out. Water soluble polysaccharides in different cultivars' fruits, different organs and different developing stage fruits were also analysed.Water soluble polysaccharides of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. jinsixiaozao were obtained by precipitation with alcohol from the aqueous extract of the fruits residue after refluxed with ethanol. The aqueous extract was deproteined by Sevage method and decolored by alcohol washing. After DEAE chromatography and Sepharose CL-6B chromatography or Sephadex G-25, 12 polysaccharides were purified. Through acid hydrolysis, methylation, partial hydrolysis, HPLC, GC, IR, 1D NMRand 2D NMR, the characterization of crude and pure polysaccharides were studied. Of the 12 pure polysaccharides, one is neutral polysaccharide and the others are acid.The immunological activity was determined by proliferation assay in vitro. The results revealed that big molecular weight crude polysaccharide had higher immunoenhancing activity among crude polysaccharides. The H₂O and lower concentration NaCl eluate ingredients from DEAE chromatography comparing other ingradients had higher activities and the purified polysaccharides from these ingredients had higher immunoenhancing activity. The antitumor activity of 12 pure polysaccharides was determined by antiblastic assay in vitro. The purified high molecular weight polysaccharides from H₂O and lower concentration NaCl eluate ingredients had higher antitumor activities.Water soluble polysaccharides in different cultivars' fruits, different organs and fruits of different developing stage were obtained by precipitation with alcohol from the aqueous extract of the residue after refluxed with ethanol. Total carbohydrates were assayed by the phenol-sulfuric acid method. The results showed that of 6 cultivars Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. jinsixiaozao had the highest precipitation ratio and polysaccharide content. Of differentorgans, the flower organ had the highest precipitation ratio and polysaccharide content. The conten of polysaccharide was at a lower level in the earlier stage, and with the development of the fruits it increased slowly. From September 13th to mature, it increased sharply to the highest.For the first time, the characterization and activities of water soluble polysaccharides of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. jinsixiaozao were reported. These researches enriched the knowledge of Chinese jujube's chemical composition, identifed the immunological and antitumor activity components, which will provide scientific support for the exploitation & utilization of Chinese jujube.