Three water-soluble polysaccharides (AMAP-1, AMAP-2 and AMAP-3) were isolated and purified from Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma by using the combination of ion-exchange chromatography and gel permeation chromatography. The structures of the polysaccharides were characterized by chemical derivatization, HPGC, GC–MS, FT–IR, and NMR techniques. Structural analyses show that the three polysaccharides are pectin-type macromolecules consisting of homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan type I (RG-I) regions in different ratios. Immunostimulatory assay highlighted that the RG-I-rich AMAP-1 and AMAP-2 with high molecular weights can stimulate RAW264.7 macrophages to release nitric oxide, but HG-rich AMAP-3 with a low molecular weight cannot. This finding suggests that the immune activity may be related to the side chains of the RG-I region, which provides a certain theoretical guidance for further exploring the structure–activity relationship. Meanwhile, AMAP-1 and AMAP-2, especially AMAP-2, from Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma show potential as immune adjuvants.

通过离子交换色谱法和凝胶渗透色谱法相结合，从白术中分离和纯化了三种水溶性多糖（AMAP-1，AMAP-2和AMAP-3）。多糖的结构通过化学衍生，HPGC，GC-MS，FT-IR和NMR技术表征。结构分析表明，这三种多糖是果胶型大分子，由高半乳糖醛酸聚糖（HG）和鼠李糖半乳糖醛酸聚糖I型（RG-I）区组成，比例不同。免疫刺激测定法强调高分子量的富含RG-1的AMAP-1和AMAP-2可以刺激RAW264.7巨噬细胞释放一氧化氮，而低分子量的富含HG的AMAP-3则不能。这一发现表明，免疫活性可能与RG-1区的侧链有关，这为进一步探讨构效关系提供了一定的理论指导。同时，来自白术的AMAP-1和AMAP-2，尤其是AMAP-2，显示出作为免疫佐剂的潜力。