Chemical characterization and Ameliorating effect of polysaccharide from Chinese jujube on intestine oxidative injury by ischemia and reperfusion

A water-soluble polysaccharide was extracted from the fruits of Chinese jujube by boiled water extraction and ethanol precipitation. Monosaccharide composition and the structure of the polysaccharide were determined by gas spectroscopy and Fourier transform IR (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The components were glucose (23%), xylose (31.3%), mannose (12.9%) and fructose (21.6%). Six distinct-absorbance peaks, at 3290.20, 2928.66, 1616.20, 1342.96, 1254.35 cm−1, 1025.43, 917, 28 and 816.57 cm−1 in the infrared (IR) spectra of Chinese jujube polysaccharides were the characteristic of polysaccharide compound. Chinese jujube polysaccharides have effective reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and metal chelating activities. This antioxidant property depends on concentration and increases with increased amount of sample. In addition, ischemia/reperfusion could stimulate oxidative injury in rabbits' intestine. Chinese jujube polysaccharides could still effectively reduce intestine MDA level and increase antioxidant enzyme activities in rabbits with ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) of the small intestine.