Purification, Preliminary Structural Characterization and In Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharides from Camellia japonica Pollen

摘要

Camellia japonica pollen, one of the natural nutritional foods, has been used for thousands of years in China because of its medicinal activities. It is an important bee product that contains large amounts of bioactive compounds. Polysaccharide is one of the most important components in pollen, but the polysaccharide in the Camellia japonica pollen has been the subject of very little research to date. In this study, three water-soluble polysaccharides obtained from Camellia japonica pollen were studied for their antioxidant activities for the first time. In vitro antioxidant assays indicated that the polysaccharides CJHP-1 and CJHP-2 had noticeable scavenging activities when examined for their ability to react with DPPH radicals, hydroxyl radicals, superoxide radicals and to chelate Fe2+. Thus, this research may aid efforts to develop the water-soluble polysaccharides from Camellia japonica pollen as novel natural antioxidants used in new dietary supplements and functional foods.