Anti-inflammatory activity of pectins and their galacturonan backbone

It has been shown that pectin polysaccharides from different plants, depending on their structure, can either protect the intestinal walls of mammals against damage and inhibit the development of inflammation or, on the contrary, have proinflammatory effects. At the same time, galacturonan isolated from any pectin, being the main carbohydrate chain (backbone) of its macromolecule, shows a marked anti-inflammatory effect. A decrease in the quantity of neutrophiles in the intestinal wall after induced inflammation indicates that the anti-inflammatory effects of pectins can be based on their influence on the functional activity of leukocytes.