Extraction, purification, characterization and hypoglycemic activity of a polysaccharide isolated from the root of Ophiopogon japonicus

In this research, a water-soluble polysaccharide (OJP1) extracted with hot water from the roots of Ophiopogon japonicus which is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb was precipitated with 95% ethanol and purified by DEAE-52 cellulose anion-exchange and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography. The high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) analysis showed that the average molecular weight (Mw) of OJP1 was 35.2 kDa. Monosaccharides analysis revealed that the OJP1 is composed of Ara, Glc, Gal with a relative molar ratio of 1:16:8. Pharmaceutical experiments showed OJP1 can significantly reduce blood glucose level, increase the insulin level and remediating destruction of pancreatic islets in STZ-induced diabetic rats compared with the diabetic control group. The study shows that OJP1 has an anti-diabetic effect on STZ-induced diabetic rats, and has potential use as an anti-diabetic agent.