A preliminary study on the antioxidant activity of Lycium ruthenicum polysaccharides in vitro/in vivo and its protective mechanism on oxidized damaged cells

Abstract

Lycium ruthenicum polysaccharides (LRP) are known to possess antioxidant effects. However, a systematic evaluation across chemical, cellular, and in vivo models have been lacking. The underlying metabolomic mechanisms also remain unexplored. This study systematically evaluated the antioxidant effects of LRP through in vitro assays, H₂O₂-induced AML12 hepatocytes, and liver tissue from mice, supplemented by untargeted metabolomic analysis of cell extracts to explore LRP’s antioxidant mechanisms. Results showed that LRP possessed significant oxygen radical absorbance capacity and potent scavenging activity against ABTS•+, DPPH•, and •OH radicals in vitro. In AML12 cells, LRP increased activities of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GSH-Px), while effectively reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (P<0.05). In mouse liver tissues, LRP may have slightly improved SOD and CAT levels while decreasing MDA levels (P>0.05). Furthermore, untargeted metabolomics revealed that LRP attenuated oxidative damage by modulating metabolic pathways, particularly glutathione metabolism, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and amino acid metabolism. These findings confirm the significant antioxidant potential of LRP, supporting its promise as a functional food ingredient.