Preparation and evaluation of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide-modified chitosan sponge for acute liver injury protection

In this study, a porous sponge material was formed by physically mixing chitosan (CS) and Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP). After removing the water by freeze-drying, the CS/ASP sponge was obtained. The prepared sponges exhibited excellent swelling properties, thermal stability and biocompatibility as well as improvements over the insufficient mechanical properties of pure chitosan sponges. Notably, the ASP released from the CS/ASP sponge could be effectively absorbed by the liver, which endowed the CS/ASP sponge with effective liver-protective effects against CCl4-induced acute liver injury; these protective effects surpassed those of both blank CS and CS/Dextran sponges. The underlying protective mechanism may involve the activation of the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant signaling pathway and the inhibition of hepatocyte apoptosis. Understanding CS/ASP sponges may provide new insights and inspire new methods for the clinical application of ASP. At the same time, we hope to suggest future directions for the development of polysaccharide preparations.