Characterization and In vitro Antioxidant Activity of a Polysaccharide from Cordyceps sobolifera

The characteristics and antioxidant activities of C ordyceps sobolifera polysaccharide (CSP) were investigated. Results from high-performance gel filtration chromatography showed that the average molecular weight of CSP was 1.53 × 10 4 kDa, while this polysaccharide was mainly composed of mannose, glucose and galactose in the molar ratio of 1.7:8.9:1 as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography after pre-column derivatization with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone. Fourier-transform infrared spectrum of CSP indicated the typical functional groups of polysaccharide. Antioxidant activity results showed that CSP had reducing power (OD700 was 0.87 at 1.5 mg/mL), and it also exhibited scavenging activities on hydroxyl (·OH scavenging rate was 47.6% at 5 mg/mL) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals (scavenging rate was 55.6% at 1 mg/mL) in a concentration-dependent manner. These results indicate that CSP has good in vitro antioxidant activity and can potentially be used for functional foods. Practical Applications C ordyceps sobolifera is a pricy traditional Chinese herb and it has been used in China for a long time. Polysaccharide extracted from C . sobolifera was characterized, and the antioxidant activities of this polysaccharide were investigated. The result may lay the foundation for the development of antioxidant functional foods from C . sobolifera .