Abstract
Saffron, a kind of rare medicinal herb with antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities, is the dry stigma of Crocus sativus L. A new water-soluble endophytic exopolysaccharide (EPS-2) was isolated from saffron by anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The chemical structure was characterized by FT-IR, GC-MS, and 1D and 2D-NMR spectra, indicating that EPS-2 has a main backbone of (1→2)-linked α-d-Manp, (1→2, 4)-linked α-d-Manp, (1→4)-linked α-d-Xylp, (1→2, 3, 5)-linked β-d-Araf, (1→6)- linked α-d-Glcp with α-d-Glcp-(1→ and α-d-Galp-(1→ as sidegroups. Furthermore, EPS-2 significantly attenuated gentamicin-induced cell damage in cultured HEI-OC1 cells and increased cell survival in zebrafish model. The results suggested that EPS-2 could protect cochlear hair cells from ototoxicity exposure. This study could provide new insights for studies on the pharmacological mechanisms of endophytic exopolysaccharides from saffron as otoprotective agents
Highlights
The colorimetric analysis has shown that EPS-2 contains 88.9% total carbohydrate, and no sulfate ester, protein, or uronic acid is detected
Saffron has strong biological activities, and the active part is concentrated in the stigma, and the amount is too small to be detrimental to further research
Endophytic fungus is a good substitute for studying saffron
Summary
Endophytic fungi symbiotically live in plant tissues and all or part of their entire life cycles is spent in and/or between plant cells, often without causing apparent symptoms of diseases These microorganisms play important roles as components of plant ecosystems [13]. Endophytic fungi benefit their hosts by enhancing resistance to disease, abiotic stress and plant growth, and they have been widely recognized as a rich, potential and novel source of natural bioactive substances in agricultural, pharmaceutical and food industries [14]. Endophytic fungi, as a renewable resource, are of growing interest They often produce exopolysaccharides with unique structures and diverse biological activities, which have become the most promising group of antioxidants [15,16]. The present research describes the purification and characterization of a water-soluble exopolysaccharide (EPS-2) from the fermentation culture of endophytic fungus Penicillium citreonigrum CSL-27 of saffron and investigates its protective role in the damaged cochlear hair cells
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
