A pectic polysaccharide from Typhonii Rhizoma: Characterization and antiproliferative activity in K562 cells through regulating mitochondrial function and energy metabolism

The pectic polysaccharide WTRP-A0.2b (43 kDa) has been isolated from Typhonii rhizoma and analyzed in terms of its structural features, anti-tumor activities and mechanism of action. NMR, FT-IR, monosaccharide composition, and enzymology demonstrate that WTRP-A0.2b is composed of rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II) and homogalacturonan (HG) domains with mass ratios of 3.7:1:1.7, respectively. The RG-I domains contain a highly branched structure that is substituted primarily with β-D-1,4-galactan, α-L-1,5-arabinan, and AG-II. The HG domains contain un-esterified and methyl-esterified and/or acetyl-esterified oligogalacturonides with a degree of polymerization of 1–8. In vitro experiments demonstrate that WTRP-A0.2b inhibits proliferation of K562 cells by inducing mitochondrial damage and suppressing glycolysis. This activity promotes mitochondrial permeability, increases production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), boosts extracellular oxygen consumption and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, while it decreases uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) expression and lactic acid content. Our results provide valuable insight for screening natural polysaccharide-based anti-tumor effects of polysaccharides from Typhonii rhizoma.