Structural characterization and anti-tumor effects of an inulin-type fructan from Atractylodes chinensis

A fructan (ACPS-1) with a molecular weight of 11.2 kDa was isolated from Atractylodes chinensis rhizome and characterized by chemical derivatization, HPLC, GC-MS, FT-IR, and NMR. Structural analyses revealed that ACPS-1 is predominately composed of fructose and a small amount of glucose and a polymerization degree of about 53. The fructan was deduced to be an inulin-type fructan containing a linear backbone composed of (2→1)-linked β-d-Fruf residues. The in vitro antitumor activity of ACPS-1 was evaluated on four human cancer cell lines, including a cervical cancer cell line (Hela), two liver hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2 and 7721), and an ovarian carcinoma cell line (Skov3). Results showed that ACPS-1 could significantly inhibit Hela, HepG2, and 7721 cell proliferation, especially HepG2, for which the fructan showed a proliferative inhibition rate as high as 87.40%. This result suggests that ACPS-1 may have anticancer potentiality against hepatocellular carcinoma and warrants further investigation.