Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Anti-Cancer Activities of a Hot Water Soluble Polysaccharide from Hulless Barley Grass.

Yijuan Xu,Meng Qi,Zhongquan Sui,Wuyang Huang,Harold Corke,Chuangchuang Zhang

doi:10.3390/foods11050677

Abstract

Hulless barley grass may confer many health benefits attributed to its bioactive functional components, such as polysaccharides. Here, a hot water soluble polysaccharide was extracted from hulless barley grass, and its chemical characterization and in vitro anti-cancer activities were investigated. The yield of hulless barley grass polysaccharide (HBGP) was 2.3%, and the purity reached 99.1% with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 1.11 after purification by a diethylaminoethyl cellulose (DE-32) column and an S-400 high resolution (HR) column. The molecular weight and number-average molecular weight of HBGP were 3.3 × 104 and 2.9 × 104 Da, respectively. The monosaccharide composition of HBGP included 35.1% galactose, 25.6% arabinose, 5.5% glucose, and 5.3% xylose. Based on infrared spectrum analysis, HBGP possessed pyranose and galactose residues. In addition, this water-soluble polysaccharide showed significant cell proliferation inhibitory effects against cancer cell lines HT29, Caco-2, 4T1, and CT26.WT in a dose-dependent manner, especially for HT29 (the half-inhibitory concentration IC50 value = 2.72 mg/mL). The results provide a basis for the development and utilization of hulless barley grass in functional foods to aid in preventing cancer.

Highlights

Hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hook. f) is a cereal crop with nutritional and health benefits
Hulless barley grain is a good source of dietary fiber providing soluble and insoluble dietary fiber fractions, especially a much higher content of arabinoxylan and β-(1 → 3, 1 → 4)-glucan compared to hulled barley genotypes [3]
When polysaccharide was further purified with an S-400 high resolution (HR) column, hulless barley grass polysaccharide (HBGP) presented as white power with a single, sharp, and symmetric peak in High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis (Figure 1b)

Summary

Introduction

Hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hook. f) is a cereal crop with nutritional and health benefits. F) is a cereal crop with nutritional and health benefits. Hulless barley is mainly cultivated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and used in beverages, bakery products, and food supplements in China [1]. Hulless barley grain possesses unique physical and chemical properties and has good potential for numerous food and non-food applications [2]. Hulless barley grain is a good source of dietary fiber providing soluble and insoluble dietary fiber fractions, especially a much higher content of arabinoxylan and β-(1 → 3, 1 → 4)-glucan compared to hulled barley genotypes [3]. Barley-related foods’ consumption decreased globally, except for beer brewing that uses barley as raw material for beverage production. There is a revival in barley grass due to the presence of nutritional components with benefits to human health

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Conclusion