Antioxidative and hepatoprotective effects of the polysaccharides from Zizyphus jujube cv. Shaanbeitanzao

This study was designed to characterize the chemical composition, antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effect of the polysaccharides from Zizyphus jujube cv. Shaanbeitanzao (ZSP). HPLC analysis showed that ZSP was the heteropolysaccharides with l-arabinose being the main component monosaccharide (50.2%, molar percentage). ZSP displayed strong antioxidant activity in vitro, and the effect was further verified by suppressing CCl4-induced oxidative stress in liver at three tested doses of ZSP (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW) in mice. Administration of ZSP (400 mg/kg) significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the activities of CCl4-elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum, and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Mice treated with ZSP showed a better profile of hepatosomatic index (HI) and antioxidant system with normal glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in liver. These results suggest that ZSP exerts an effective protection against CCl4-induced hepatic injury by mediating antioxidative and free radical scavenging activities.