Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz

Fiorito, Serena, Epifano, Francesco, Preziuso, Francesca, Taddeo, Vito Alessandro & Genovese, Salvatore, 2018, Selenylated plant polysaccharides: A survey of their chemical and pharmacological properties, Phytochemistry 153, pp. 1-10 : 6

5.10.2. Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz

Roots of H. polybotrys represent a well known therapeutic remedy of the Chinese herbal medicine practice, especially as an anti-diabetic agent ( Hu et al., 2010). In 2015 Wei and coworkers synthesized a library of 4 Se-Ps from polysaccharides of this species extracted from roots with a Se content in the range from 1.04 mg /g to 3.29 mg /g. These authors subsequently tested all samples for their scavenging properties towards superoxide, hydroxyl, and DPPH radicals and for their reducing power. The scavenging activity was strictly related to the Se content of the polymer (40.9%–63.2%) and in all cases the effect observed was by far lower than that recorded for ascorbic acid (80.3%). The same pattern has been seen for the reducing power. The most effective Se-P was then selected to perform further studies as a neuroprotective agent against oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by amyloid β protein in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line applying doses in the range 5–40 μg/mL. Administration of the Se-P led to restore cell viability in a dose-dependent manner (54.8%–86.4%). Also, morphological changes induced by amyloid β protein were dramatically ameliorated. Finally, treatment with the Se-P prevented apoptosis and nuclear fragmentation.