Structural Characterization and Hypolipidemic Activity of a Polysaccharide PGEB-3H from the Fruiting Bodies of Gastrodia elata Blume

The purified Gastrodia elata Blume polysaccharide (PGEB-3H), was found to be a glucan with a molecular weight of 28.8 kDa and specific rotation of +206.3 (ca.0.003, H2O). The structural characterics of PGEB was investigated by chemical methods (partial hydrolysis with acid, methylation reaction, periodate oxidation, and Smith degradation) and instrument analysis (IR and NMR). PGEB-3H was mainly composed by glucose, and had a (1→4)-α-D-glucan main chain occasionally branched with α-1,6 glycosidic linkage. PGEB-3H exhibited potential lipid-lowering effects in hyperlipidemia rats.^p