Structural and Biological Properties of Rhamnogalacturonan-I-Enriched Pectin Isolated from Cardamine tangutorum and...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Phytochemistry
• Nutritional Biochemistry

Background:

• Shigecai ( *C. macrophylla* and *C. tangutorum*) are nutritious vegetables with limited industrial use due to unknown phytochemicals.
• Shigecai leaves contain abundant pectic polysaccharides, but their structures and bioactivities are uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the chemical characteristics and biological functions of RG-I-enriched pectin from *C. tangutorum* (CTHDP) and *C. macrophylla* (CMHDP) leaves.
• To evaluate the potential of Shigecai-derived pectin as a functional food ingredient.

Main Methods:

• Extraction and characterization of pectin from Shigecai leaves.
• Analysis of chemical structures, including RG-I and HG regions.
• Assessment of antioxidant, antiglycation, prebiotic, and immunoregulatory activities.
• Correlation analysis between bioactivities and phytochemical content/molecular weight.

Main Results:

• Shigecai leaves are a good source of RG-I-enriched pectin (57.63–65.21 mg/g dry weight).
• CTHDP and CMHDP showed similar structures, rich in RG-I (60.14–63.33 mol%).
• Both pectins demonstrated significant antioxidant, antiglycation, prebiotic, and immunomodulatory effects.

Conclusions:

• Shigecai-derived RG-I-enriched pectins possess valuable functional properties.
• Bioactivities are linked to bound polyphenols, uronic acid, and molecular weight.
• These findings support the industrial application of Shigecai pectin as a functional food ingredient.