Structural characteristics of a novel Bletilla striata polysaccharide and its activities for the alleviation of liver fibrosis

Liver fibrosis has proven to be the main predisposing factor for liver cirrhosis and liver cancer; however, an effective treatment remains elusive. Polysaccharides , with low toxicity and a wide range of bioactivities, are strong potential candidates for anti-hepatic fibrosis applications. For this study, a new low molecular weight neutral polysaccharide ( B. striata glucomannan (BSP)) was extracted and purified from Bletilla striata . The structure of BSP was characterized and its activities for alleviating liver fibrosis in vivo were further evaluated. The results revealed that the structural unit of BSP was likely →4)-β-D-Glc p -(1 → 4)-β-D-Man p -(1 → 4)-β-D-2ace-Man p -(1 → 4)-β-D-Man p -(1 → 4)-β-D-Glc p -(1 → 4)-β-D-Man p -(1 → 4)-β-D-Man p -(1 → 4)-β-D-3ace-Man p -(1→, with a molecular weight of only 58.5 kDa. Additionally, BSP was observed to attenuate the passive impacts of liver fibrosis in a manner closely related to TLR2/TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway conduction. In summary, the results of this study provide theoretical foundations for the potential applications of BSP as an anti-liver fibrosis platform.