Isolation, Characterization and Hypoglycemic Activity of an Acid Polysaccharide Isolated from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill

The crude polysaccharide (SCP) extracted from Schisandra chinensis by hot water extraction and ethanol precipitation, was further fractionated by DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S-300 chromatography, giving a polysaccharide fraction named as SCP-BII. The molecular weight of SCP-BII was 23 kDa using HPGPC. Gas chromatography analysis suggested that SCP-BII was composed of rhamnose, arabinose, mannose, galactose, glucose and galacturonic acid with a ratio of 4.7:2.6:0.8:5.6:1:5.6. Pharmaceutical experiments showed SCP-BII administered in alloxan-induced diabetic mice can significantly reduce blood glucose levels and water intake, and increase the body weight of diabetic mice. The results suggest SCP-BII attenuated the diabetes-induced weight loss, polydipsia and hyperglycemia, and these improvements suggest that Schisandra chinensis could be considered as a potential anti-diabetic agent.