A comparison on the physicochemical characteristics and biological functions of polysaccharides extracted from Taraxacum mongolicum by different extraction technologies

This study aimed to reveal the impacts of different extraction technologies on the physicochemical properties and in vitro biological functions of dandelion leaf polysaccharides (DLP). The results revealed that the yields (8.69–11.25%), contents of uronic acids (10.29–16.64%), contents of conjugated polyphenolics (26.56–57.67 mg GAE/g), and molecular weights (fraction 1, 4.36–7.68 × 10 4  Da; fraction 2, 3.22–4.56 × 10 4  Da) of DLP were notably affected by different extraction procedures, whereas the primary structures (rhamnogalacturonan I, homogalacturonan, and arabinogalactan segments) of DLP were overall stable according to the FT-IR and NMR analysis. Additionally, the in vitro biological functions of DLP were also obviously affected by different extraction procedures. More specifically, the strongest biological functions, including in vitro antioxidant capacities (ABTS, IC 50  = 0.54 ± 0.01 mg/mL; DPPH, IC 50  = 1.03 ± 0.02 mg/mL; Nitric oxide, IC 50  = 0.21 ± 0.01 mg/mL), inhibitory effects on the formation of advanced glycation end products (IC 50  = 1.46 ± 0.04 mg/mL), and inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase (IC 50  = 14.28 ± 0.28 μg/mL), were found in DLP-P extracted by the pressurized hot water extraction among all selected technologies, which might be owing to its high contents of uronic acids and conjugated polyphenolics according to the heat map analysis. The findings can provide fundamental knowledge to select desirable extraction technologies for preparation of DLP. Indeed, the results are beneficial to well understanding the potential structure-function relationships of DLP. Graphical abstract