Abstract
This research aimed to establish the gas chromatography (GC) fingerprints and examine the immunomodulatory activity of the rhizome of Menispermum dauricum polysaccharides. In this study, the preparation conditions were optimized by the response surface method (RSM). GC is an effective and sensitive technique employed to measure the composition of monosaccharides; the GC fingerprints of total polysaccharides from 10 batches of the rhizome of M. dauricum (tMDP) were established, and chemometrics methods were adopted to examine the differences and similarities of tMDP from distinct regions. The similarity evaluation illustrated that the polysaccharides derived from the rhizome of M. dauricum from different origins were highly similar. The results of principal components analysis (PCA) illustrated that all the tMDPs may be integrated into one group within the 95% confidence interval, but the rhizome of M. dauricum from different origins could also be distinguished in the plot of PCA scores. Then, the major bioactive fraction MDP was purified and obtained by column chromatography. Our previous study showed that MDP exhibited significant immunomodulatory activity, but the mechanism of the in vitro immunomodulatory activity of MDP is unclear. The macrophage activation induced by MDP was abolished when Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling was knocked down by the TLR4 inhibitor. Furthermore, western blot analysis illustrated that MDP activated RAW264.7 cells through MAPKs and NFκB pathways induced by TLR4. This research offers a theoretical foundation for quality control and additional study as a potential immunomodulator of MDP.