Preliminary Structural Characterization of an Anti-Inflammatory Polysaccharide from Lysimachia christinae and Its Preventive Effect on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice

An acidic heteropolysaccharide, named LCP-90-3, with a relative molecular weight of 14.02 kDa, was isolated and purified from the traditional heat-clearing Chinese medicine, Lysimachia christinae Hance. The monosaccharide residue analysis indicated that LCP-90-3 was composed of glucuronic acid, mannose, and arabinose in a molar ratio of 79.2: 3.6: 17.2. Linkage analysis further indicated that LCP-90-3 was mainly composed of 1,4-GlcpA, 1,4,6-GlcpA, 1,2-Araf, T-Manp, 1,3-Araf, and 1,4-Manp residues. Furthermore, LCP-90-3 demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory activity by significantly inhibiting the secretion of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated ANA-1 cells. Interestingly, oral administration of LCP-90-3 at doses of 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg effectively mitigated LPS-induced acute liver injury in vivo by suppressing the overexpression of inflammatory mediators (NO, TNF-α, and IL-6), aminotransferases (ALT and AST) in serum, and markers of antioxidant capacity (MDA, CAT, and SOD) in the liver. Overall, these findings highlight LCP-90-3 as a novel leading polysaccharide for new drug candidate development against liver injury through modulation of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress.