Structural Characteristics and Immunological Function of a New Non-Starch Polysaccharide from Red Sprout Taro

Taro is a tuber crop that is used for nutritional and medicinal purposes due to its abundance of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs). <i>Red Sprout</i> taro is a local variety in Southern China, but the characteristics and bioactivities of its NSPs are currently unknown. In this study, NSPs were isolated from the corms of <i>Red Sprout</i> taro using hot-water extraction, ion-exchange chromatography, and ethanol precipitation; their molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, structural formulae, and immunomodulatory effects were examined. A novel NSP named <i>Colocasia esculenta</i> polysaccharide 1 (CEP1) was purified and characterized and was shown to mainly consist of glucose (60.49%) and galactose (25.92%) and have a molecular weight of 4556.272 kDa. The backbone of CEP1 consisted primarily of →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →4,6)-β-D-Galp-(1→, and →3)-β-D-Galp-(1→ residues, with a branch consisting of the β-D-Glcp-(1→ residue. In addition, 25-400 µg/mL CEP1 was shown to have immunomodulatory effects on RAW264.7 macrophages. CEP1 not only increased cell viability, phagocytic capacity, inducible nitric oxide synthase secretion, and nitric oxide generation in RAW264.7 cells, but it also activated M1 and M2 macrophages to generate tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, transforming growth factor β, and interleukin 10. These findings could lead to the use of CEP1 from Red Sprout taro as a possible immunomodulatory polysaccharide in functional foods.