Effects of seleno-Sesbania canabina galactomannan on anti-oxidative and immune function of macrophage

Abstract Seleno-polysaccharides have become a major topic for research owing to their high anti-oxidative capacity and immune-enhancing activities. In this study, galactomannan (GM) was isolated from Sesbania cannabina, and next modified using HNO3–Na2SeO3 method to obtain six varieties of seleno-galactomannans (SeGMs). FT-IR and GPC results showed the changes in chemical structure of SeGMs, indicating successful combination of selenium and GM. By measuring superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde, the SeGMs showed a stronger protective effect against H2O2-induced oxidative damage in vitro than unmodified GM using macrophage RAW264.7 cell as a model, and the effect of SeGMs-14 was prominent. However, the selenylation modification did not show any obvious effect on the immunomodulatory activity of GM, as determined by the index of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β. Overall, the prepared SeGMs from galactomannan could potentially serve as a dietary supplement of Se or an organic antioxidant.