Lycium barbarum polysaccharide exhibits cardioprotection in an experimental model of ischemia-reperfusion damage

Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of mortality and disability worldwide. The present study investigated the cardio-protective effects of polysaccharides extracted from Lycium barbarum (LB), the fruit of which is traditionally used in Chinese medicine. Polysaccharides were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and high‑performance liquid chromatography techniques. The present study demonstrated that LB polysaccharides are composed of glucose and fructose monosaccharides in a molar ratio of 1:2. A total of 36 rats were divided into three groups plus a control group, with nine animals in each group, and were used for studying the cardioprotective effects of LB polysaccharides. The low‑dose group received 150 mg/kg body weight (BW) polysaccharides and the high‑dose group received 300 mg/kg BW polysaccharides. The results demonstrated that the LB polysaccharides reduced the levels of myocardial lactate dehydrogenase and increased the sodium‑potassium ATPase and calcium ATPase activities in rats with heart ischemia‑reperfusion injury. In addition, there was a decrease in the myocardial Bax‑positive expression and the rate of myocardial cell apoptosis, along with a dose‑dependent increase in Bcl‑2‑positive expression. Therefore, it was concluded that LB polysaccharides are able to halt the progression of cardiovascular diseases.