Novel polysaccharide from Panax notoginseng with immunoregulation and prebiotic effects

Panax notoginseng is a rare medicinal and edible plant widely used for multi-treatments, and in this study, a polysaccharide Pnp was prepared from P. notoginseng, and its structure and biology activities were investigated. Results showed that the molecular weight of Pnp was 78.6 kDa, and Pnp mainly consisted of →2,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→, →5)-α-L-Araf-(1→ and →4)-α-D-Galp-(1→ residues with acetyl groups. Furthermore, the macrophages were activated the immunologic function after TLR2 and MR recognizing Pnp. Besides, Pnp could be durative utilized by the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum and the account of viable cells kept at 9.5 log CFU/mL for 72h. The hydrophobicity and the short-chain fatty acids levels (especially butyric acid) of L. plantarum were enhanced by Pnp, which indicated that Pnp exerted beneficial effects on the host health. The results laid a solid foundation for the exploitation of Pnp as a nutraceutical and functional candidate in the food industry.