The characterization, selenylation and anti-inflammatory activity of pectic polysaccharides extracted from Ulmus pumila L.

The specific objective of this study was to investigate characterization, selenylation, and anti-inflammatory activities of pectic polysaccharides extracted from Ulmus pumila L. (PPU). Four different monosaccharides were found in PPU, including galacturonic acid, galactose, rhamnose, and glucose. FT-IR spectra indicated that pectic polysaccharides were successfully extracted from Ulmus pumila L., and were probably low methoxyl pectin. GC-MS and NMR analysis of PPU suggested the major monosaccharide of PPU was α-1,4-linked galacturonic acid with α-1,2-linked rhamnose as the backbone and glucose or galactose residues as branches at C-3 and C-4 positions of rhamnose. Selenylation of PPU was synthesized by 0.2 and 0.4% of sodium selenites. Selenized-PPU (Se-PPU) inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 cells, and increasing selenium content enhanced anti-inflammatory properties of PPU. Therefore, Se-PPU can be used as a potential source of bioactive compounds for nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical applications.