Arabinoxylan, the preeminent constituent of hemicellulose B present in cereal bran, is widely recognized for its myriad physiological benefits, encompassing antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, immunomodulatory, intestinal protective, and prebiotic activities, thereby underscoring its significance in promoting health and wellness. Recent research extracted arabinoxylan (AX) from corn bran and fractionated it into AX-1–1, AX-2–1, and AX-3–1, which were purified and structurally analyzed. These fractions had average molecular weights of 287, 305, and 280 kDa, respectively, and consisted mainly of arabinose and xylose, along with other saccharides, with A/X ratios of 0.78, 1.02, and 0.92. Their anti-inflammatory effects were tested on RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). AX-3–1 showed the strongest activity by downregulating the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and suppressing the NF-κB pathway, reducing inflammatory cytokine secretion. These results highlight the potential of corn by-products in new applications and suggest AX as a food supplement for anti-inflammatory purposes. Extraction, characterization, and anti-inflammatory activity evaluation of arabinoxylan.
Xiong et al. (Wed,) studied this question.