Structural characterization and antinociceptive activity of polysaccharides from Anoectochilus elatus

Anoectochilus elatus is a new record species from Yunnan province in China discovered by our group in 2018, used in folk as the most popular Anoectochilus species A. roxburghii for medicinal and culinary purposes. The crude polysaccharide of Anoectochilus elatus (AEP) exhibited significant antinociceptive effects against both chemical and thermal nociception in vivo. Bio-guided isolation identified GJXL-1 as the leading analgesic polysaccharide in AEP. Detailed structural analyses rationalized GJXL-1 (molecular weight: 10.3 kDa) as an α-D-1,4-linked glucan unexpectedly branched at O-3, and O-6 position. GJXL-1 dose-dependently suppressed acetic acid-induced writhing in mice and decreased the serum levels of NO, IL-6 and TNF-α, which also repressed the licking times in both the first and second phases in formalin test. Furthermore, only L-nitroarginine partly reversed the analgesic activity of GJXL-1, indicating that GJXL-1's efficacy was partially mediated by NO regulation, possibly through inhibiting IRAK4/TAK1/NF-κB signaling pathway, and modulating gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids production. In addition, the motor impairment and hypnotic effects of GJXL-1 were excluded. Our study suggests that GJXL-1 can be regarded as a promising and safe drug candidate for diverse pain disorders, and also a promising prebiotic candidate to maintain intestinal homeostasis and promote human gut health.