The Chemical Profiling and Anticancer Potential of Functional Polysaccharides from Flos Sophorae Immaturus

Polysaccharides from Flos Sophorae Immaturus (FSI) are one of its pharmacological compounds that can perform effective activities. Aiming to extract the most effective polysaccharides against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the polysaccharides were separated from FSI through ultrasonic microwave extraction, and the first comparison was carried out on the characterization of the structure and its cytotoxic properties on HCC SMMC 7721 cells of undeproteinized purified polysaccharides (PFSI-1) and papain-deproteinized polysaccharides (PFSI-2) from FSI. The findings indicated that PFSI-1 and PFSI-2 had characteristic absorption peaks of polysaccharides; PFSI-1 contained three monosaccharides and PFSI-2 contained ten; and SEM, AFM, and NMR were consistent with the verification of IR polysaccharide characteristics, suggesting probable additional latent activities. The pharmacotoxic effects of both PFSI-1 and PFSI-2 on SMMC 7721 cells (p < 0.05), attenuated the migration ability of SMMC 7721 cells (p < 0.05) and promoted apoptosis (p < 0.05), with an increase in G0/G1-phase cells and decrease in S-phase cells in the PFSI-1 as well as a decrease in G0/G1-phase cells, increase in S-phase cells, and decrease in apoptosis in the PFSI-2 (p < 0.05). The significant cytotoxic effect of PFSI-2 on SMMC 7721 cells (p < 0.05) and its protective effect on human hepatic L02 cells (HL-7702) at low concentrations (p > 0.05) could indicate its potential as a new drug for the treatment of HCC.