Polysaccharide extracted from Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (PAMK) induce apoptosis in transplanted H22 cells in mice.

Polysaccharide of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (PAMK) was extracted by alcohol sedimenting ranging from 60% to 90% and purified by ultrafiltration membrane. The high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), gas chromatography (GC) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) revealed that PAMK was a 4.1KDa neutral heteropolysaccharide composed of galactose, arabinose and glucose with α-configuration (molar ratio, 1: 1.5: 5). Results of determination of chemical components suggested that PAMK contained 96.47% of polysaccharide and little protein, nucleic acid and uronic acid. Antitumor experiments in vivo could be concluded that PAMK had a significantly cytotoxic and anti-tumor effect by blocking tumor cells in S phase. And not only that, PAMK could protect immune organ efficiently, comparing with cyclophosphamide. The research provided a potential antineoplastic drug component for tumor treatment.