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. 2023 Nov 21;12(2):1218-1229.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3836. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Antifatigue effects and antioxidant activity in polysaccharide fractions from Chinese yam bulbils

Hai-Xu Zhou  1 , Xiao Zhang  1 , Ren-Gui Huang  2 , Tong-Chao Su  1
Affiliations

Antifatigue effects and antioxidant activity in polysaccharide fractions from Chinese yam bulbils

Hai-Xu Zhou et al. Food Sci Nutr. .

Abstract

Polysaccharides are the principal component in Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.) bulbils. The properties and antifatigue of polysaccharides from yam bulbils (PYB) were identified and compared. Their molecular weights (PYB-1 and PYB-2) were approximately 145 and 11 kDa, respectively, with active β-configurations. Meanwhile, the antifatigue activities of PYBs were tested in mice via exhaustive swimming tests (EST). The EST results indicated that PYB-1 and PYB-2 significantly prolonged swimming time in mice (p < .05). Associated with this increase was a rise in hepatic glycogen content and antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)) activity, along with a decline in blood urea nitrogen, lactic acid, and malondialdehyde levels. The results showed that molecular weight might contribute to the antifatigue effects of PYBs. Additionally, antioxidant tests showed that PYB-1 had stronger free-radical scavenging activity than PYB-2. Taken together, the findings indicated that PYBs exhibited effective antifatigue and antioxidant activities providing additional evidence supporting the use of PYBs as functional food ingredients for relieving fatigue.

Keywords: Chinese yam bulbils; antifatigue; antioxidant; exhaustive swimming tests; polysaccharide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

SCHEME 1
SCHEME 1
Schematic representation of the experimental design for evaluating PYB (polysaccharides from Chinese yam bulbils) antifatigue activity in mice subjected to exhaustive swimming tests.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
DEAE‐52 cellulose (a), Sephadex G‐100 (b) column chromatography, and ultraviolet spectrophotometry (c) of polysaccharides from yam bulbils.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
High‐performance liquid chromatograms comparing monosaccharide standards at different concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 mg/mL) with polysaccharides from yam bulbils (PYB‐1 and PYB‐2).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Structural characteristics of polysaccharides from yam bulbils (PYB‐1/2), determined with gel permeation chromatography (a) and Fourier‐transform infrared (b).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Morphological properties of PYB‐1 (a) and PYB‐2 (b) via scanning electron microscopy.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Scavenging abilities of polysaccharides from yam bulbils (PYB‐1/2) on DPPH free radical, superoxide anion free radical, and hydroxyl free radical. Different letters indicate significant differences between groups (p < .05). Significant differences between PYB‐1 and PYB‐2 (*p < .05, **p < .01).
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Effect of PYB‐1 and PYB‐2 on internal biochemical indices. Significant differences between PYB‐1 and PYB‐2 (# p < .05, ## p < .01). Compared with PG, the significant differences among other groups (*p < .05, **p < .01).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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