The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of pine pollen polysaccharides and sulfated polysaccharides on mice with ulcerative colitis and whether they could protect mice from inflammation by regulating the tight junctions of colonic epithelial cells and regulating the RIPK3-dependent necroptosis pathways. Pine pollen polysaccharides were prepared by water boiling and ethanol precipitation. After deproteinedization with trichloroacetic acid, the UV spectrum showed that there were no proteins. One polysaccharide component (PPM60-III) was made by gel filtration chromatography, and then sulfated polysaccharide (SPPM60-III) was derived using the chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine method. After treatment with PPM60-III and SPPM60-III, the body weight of mice with ulcerative colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate increased, the DAI score decreased, the levels of pro-inflammatory factors and inflammation-related enzymes decreased, and the level of anti-inflammatory factors increased. In addition, after treatment, the expressions levels of tight junction proteins increased, the expressions levels of key proteins of programmed necroptosis decreased, while the level of Caspase-8 increased. The results indicated that pine pollen polysaccharides and sulfated polysaccharides have a certain therapeutic effect on UC mice, and the therapeutic effect may be achieved by regulating the tight junction of colonic epithelial cells and regulating the RIPK3-dependent necroptosis pathways.
Keywords: necroptosis; pine pollen polysaccharides; sulfated polysaccharides; tight junction proteins; ulcerative colitis.