Beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptide, the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, invokes oxidative damage to neurons and eventually leads to neuronal death. Selenylation modification of polysaccharide obtained from Radix hedysari (RHP) was studied to access antioxidant activities and neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by Aβ25-35 in vitro. A series of the selenylation derivatives of RHP (Se-RHP) was synthesized using nitric acid-sodium selenite (HNO3-Na2SeO3) method. The organic selenium content of Se-RHP increased from 1.04 to 3.29 mg/g. However, compared with the weight-average molecular mass (Mw) of RHP, Mw of Se-RHP showed a significant decrease, and varied from 27.7 kDa to 62.7 kDa. FT-IR spectra and (13)C NMR spectra indicated the selenite groups had been introduced mainly at the C-6 positions of RHP. Compared with RHP, Se-RHP showed greater antioxidant activities in vitro. Furthermore, both RHP and Se-RHP3 had neuroprotective effects against Aβ25-35-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, which might be a potential therapeutic agent for preventing or treating neurodegenerative diseases.
