Purification, structural characterization and anti-UVB irradiation activity of an extracellular polysaccharide from Pantoea agglomerans.

Extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) produced by Pantoea agglomerans was purified for structural analysis and anti-UVB activity evaluation. The results showed that the EPS comprised of mannose and glucose in a ratio of 3:2. The molecular weight of EPS was estimated as 679 KDa. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) showed that the EPS was composed of d-furanose without any substituent group. The structure of the EPS could be deduced as a repeated pentasaccharide arranged of three mannose molecules and two glucose molecules according to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis and results mentioned above. The results also showed that the EPS attenuated UVB-induced cytotoxicity which was verified by morphology feature assay, down-regulated the expression of phosphor-JNK and active caspase3 significantly through MAPK pathway in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells, and therefore protected the cells from apoptosis which could be identified by the lower apoptosis rate at low dose of UVB ray. In conclusion, the EPS as a macromolecule arranged by repeated pentasaccharide could protect HaCaT keratinocytes from UVB irradiation injury effectively, and the underlying mechanism may involve MAPK signaling pathway which contribute to apoptotic cell death. However, further studies on efficacy of the EPS in vivo are needed to determine.