ReviewIsolation, structures and bioactivities of the polysaccharides from jujube fruit (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.): A review
Introduction
Jujube (Ziziphus Jujuba Mill.) belongs to the genus Ziziphus (Rhamnaceae family) and is largely cultivated in the subtropical and tropical regions, particularly in Australia, southern and eastern Asia, and Europe (Gao, Wu, & Wang, 2013). The Z. jujuba has been cultivated for 4000 years in China, where it is mainly distributed in the northwest region (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Gansu Province), the Yellow River Valley areas (Ningxia Province, Shaanxi Province, Shanxi Province), and the eastern region (Shandong Province, Hebei Province, Henan Province). China is the only country to export jujube fruit, and its production of jujube was 7,345,300 tonnes and the total area of culture reached approximately 2.8 million hectares in 2014, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China.
In an ancient Chinese book on herbal medicine, Huangdi Neijing (475–221 BCE), the Z. jujuba fruit was considered one of the five most valuable fruits (Chen, Maiwulanjiang et al., 2014), and the fruit was also identified as an excellent herbal medicine in Shennong Bencao Jing (300 BCE-200 CE) (Chen et al., 2013, Chen et al., 2015). Daily consumption of Z. jujuba was believed to calm the mind, improve the quality of sleep and prolong the life-span (Chen, Yan et al., 2014). Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Z. jujuba has sedative and hepatoprotective effects, immunological and antioxidant activities, and anti-inflammatory effects (Lam et al., 2016, Lam et al., 2016, Wojdyło et al., 2016). The multiple pharmacological effects of Z. jujuba can be attributed to its various chemical ingredients, including vitamin C, polysaccharides, phenolic acids (hydroxycinnamic acids and benzoic acids), flavonoids (flavonols and flavan-3-ols), triterpenic acids, and nucleosides (Bai et al., 2016, Fu et al., 2016, Pawlowska et al., 2009, Wojdyło et al., 2016, Xie et al., 2016, Yu et al., 2016). Polysaccharides are one of the most abundant components of the Z. jujuba fruit, and represent a major group of biologically active constituents (Yan, Wang, & Wu, 2014). The Z. jujuba polysaccharides isolated with different extraction and purification methods are structurally diverse biomacromolecules with various physiochemical properties and bioactivities, including immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and hypoglycemic activities, and gastrointestinal-protective effects (Hammi et al., 2016, Li et al., 2011, Wang et al., 2015, Xie et al., 2016, Yue et al., 2014). To the best of our knowledge, there has been no review of the extraction and purification techniques or the structural characteristics and biological activities of Z. jujuba polysaccharides. Therefore, one of the purposes of this review is to report the relationships between the structural features and biological activities of Z. jujuba polysaccharides.
Section snippets
Extraction and purification methods
Z. jujuba polysaccharides are structural components of the cell wall, so extraction methods are usually based on the deconstruction of the cell wall (Jin et al., 2012, Nie and Xie, 2011). The basic method of extraction involves breaking the outer layer of the cell wall from the inner layer with moderate extraction conditions without changing the structures of the Z. jujuba polysaccharides (Zhang, Cui, Cheung, & Wang, 2007). Extraction in hot or boiling water is the classical and most convenient
Physiochemical and structural features
The physiochemical and structural characteristics of a polysaccharide mainly include its monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, sequence of monosaccharides, configuration of glycosidic linkages, types of glycosidic linkages, and positions of glycosidic linkages, etc. (Cui et al., 2014, Nie and Xie, 2011, Yang and Zhang, 2009, Zhang et al., 2007). Polysaccharides with various monosaccharide constituents and chemical structures have been isolated from Z. jujuba fruit. Several research
Biological activities
Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the Z. jujuba fruit is widely used to treat lassitude, anorexia, and loose stools, in deficiency syndromes of the spleen, and for hysteria in women (Gao et al., 2013, Guo et al., 2010, Shen et al., 2009). According to many studies, polysaccharides are a major class of bioactive compounds in the Z. jujuba fruit, contributing to its beneficial effects on human health and its pharmacological activities. The multiple bioactivities and health
Correlation of structure, content, and biological activity
The various biological activities of polysaccharides are strongly related to their chemical compositions and configurations (Jin et al., 2012, Wasser, 2002). Few studies of regarding the structure-function relationships of these polysaccharides have been reported, and it is not easy to relate the structures of Z. jujuba polysaccharides to their biological activities. Nevertheless, some relationships can be inferred as follows.
It is well established that the molecular weights of polysaccharides
Conclusions and perspectives
In conclusion, polysaccharides can be effectively isolated and purified from Z. jujuba fruit with various extraction methods, including microwave-assisted and ultrasonic-assisted methods, which are more efficient than only hot water extraction alone. Z. jujuba polysaccharides have a wide range of crucial bioactivities, including immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and hypoglycemic activities, and they exert gastrointestinal-protective effects. The isolation, structural
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgements
This research was financially supported by the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund under (2452016084), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC31401650), Science and Technology Integrated Innovation Project, Shaanxi Province (2013KTZB02-03-04) and National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0400204).
References (59)
A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein binding
Analytical Biochemistry
(1976)- et al.
Immunomodulating and antioxidant effects of polysaccharide conjugates from the fruits of Ziziphus Jujube on chronic fatigue syndrome rats
Carbohydrate Polymers
(2015) - et al.
Extraction optimization, characterization and immunity activity of polysaccharides from Fructus Jujubae
Carbohydrate Polymers
(2014) - et al.
Dammarane-type saponins from Ziziphus jujube and their inhibitory effects against TNF-a release in LPS-induced RAW 246.7 macrophages
Phytochemistry Letters
(2016) - et al.
Hypoglycemic effect of crude exopolysaccharides produced by a medicinal mushroom Phellinus baumii in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Life Science
(2005) - et al.
Isolation, structure and bioactivities of the polysaccharides from Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels: A review
Carbohydrate Polymers
(2012) - et al.
Chemical and biological assessment of Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)-containing herbal decoctions: Induction of erythropoietin expression in cultures
Journal of Chromatography B
(2016) - et al.
Jujube-containing herbal decoctions induce neuronal differentiation and the expression of anti-oxidant enzymes in cultured PC12 cells
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
(2016) - et al.
Isolation and structural characterization of a polysaccharide from fruits of Zizyphus jujuba cv. Junzao
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
(2013) - et al.
Optimization of the ultrasonically assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Zizyphus jujuba cv. jinsixiaozao
Journal of Food Engineering
(2007)
Isolation, purification and structure of a new water-soluble polysaccharide from Zizyphus jujuba cv. Jinsixiaozao
Carbohydrate Polymers
Antioxidant activities of polysaccharides from the fruiting bodies of Zizyphus Jujuba cv
Jinsixiaozao. Carbohydrate Polymers
Screening of a functional polysaccharide from Zizyphus Jujuba cv. Jinsixiaozao and its property
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Hepatoprotective effects of polysaccharides extracted from Zizyphus jujube cv. Huanghetanzao
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Antitumor polysaccharides from mushrooms: A review on the structural characteristics, antitumor mechanisms and immunomodulating activities
Carbohydrate Research
Structural elucidation of bioactive fungi-derived polymers
Carbohydrate Polymers
Immunomodulating and anticancer agents in the realm of macromycetes fungi (macrofungi)
International Immunopharmacology
A review on the isolation and structure of tea polysaccharides and their bioactivities
Food Hydrocolloids
Flavonoids of Zizyphus jujuba L. and Zizyphus spina-christi (L.) Willd (Rhamnaceae) fruits
Food Chemistry
Microwave-assisted extraction of jujube polysaccharide: Optimization, purification and functional characterization
Carbohydrate Polymers
The protective effect of Zizyphus jujube fruit on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic injury in mice by anti-oxidative activities
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Microwave-assisted hydrothermal extraction of sulfated polysaccharides from Ulva spp. and Monostroma latissimum
Food Chemistry
Reviews on mechanisms of in vitro antioxidant activity of polysaccharides
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
Antioxidative and hepatoprotective effects of the polysaccharides from Zizyphus jujube cv. Shaanbeitanzao
Carbohydrate Polymers
Phenolic composition, ascorbic acid content, and antioxidant capacity of Spanish jujube (Ziziphus jujube Mill.) fruits
Food Chemistry
Recent advances in bioactive polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum L., Zizyphus jujuba Mill, Plantago spp., and Morus spp.: Structures and functionalities
Food Hydrocolloids
Recent advances in Cordyceps sinensis polysaccharides: Mycelial fermentation, isolation, structure, and bioactivities: A review
Journal of Functional Foods
Chemical structural and chain conformational characterization of some bioactive polysaccharides isolated from natural sources
Carbohydrate Polymers
In vivo macrophage activation and physicochemical property of the different polysaccharide fractions purified from Angelica sinensis
Carbohydrate Polymers
Cited by (239)
Structural and in vivo-in vitro myocardial injury protection features of two novel polysaccharides from Allium macrostemon Bunge and Allium chinense G. Don
2024, International Journal of Biological MacromoleculesPurification, structural elucidation and in vitro antitumor activity of a novel polysaccharide from sugarcane leaves
2024, Industrial Crops and ProductsPhenylalanine-cultured Meyerozyma caribbica enhances cysteine metabolism to improve black spot disease resistance in jujube
2024, Postharvest Biology and TechnologyUltrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction, structural characterization, and anticancer activity of polysaccharides from Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit
2024, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
- 1
These authors contributed equally to this work.