Protective effect of polysaccharide from Ligusticum chuanxiong hort against H2O2-induced toxicity in zebrafish embryo

A protein-containing polysaccharide, LCP, showing strong antioxidant activity from the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort was fractionated and purified. Its physicochemical properties were characterised by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), UV and IR analysis. The results showed that LCP was proteoglycan containing 85.7% total carbohydrate, 2.79% protein, 5.14% uronic acid, and four kinds of monosaccharides including xylose, glucose, mannose and galactose with molar ratios of 1.2: 7.8: 1: 2.1, respectively. The average molecular weight of LCP was 15.8 x 10(4) Da. In addition, the results indicated that LCP exhibited good radical scavenging abilities. Furthermore, LCP partially attenuated the incidence of mortalities and pericardial edema in zebrafish embryos exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Moreover, LCP provided protection against H2O2-induced ROS generation and cell death in zebrafish embryo. These results indicated that LCP could be a potential approach for oxidative stress damage reversal.