Water-soluble polysaccharides from Pinus koraiensis pinecone were fractionated using DEAE cellulose-52 and Sephadex G-100 successively to obtain two eluents named PKCP-D70-2-a and PKCP-D70-2-b. Structural analyses showed that PKCP-D70-2-a had a higher molecular weight and degree of branching when compared to PKCP-D70-2-b. Structural analyses also showed that the monosaccharide composition of PKCP-D70-2-a differed from that of PKCP-D70-2-b. The existence of a O-glycopeptide bond in PKCP-D70-2-a and PKCP-D70-2-b was verified by a β-elimination reaction. Tertiary structure analyses indicated that PKCP-D70-2-a and PKCP-D70-2-b had a triple-helical conformation. However, PKCP-D70-2-b had more of a triple-helical conformation when compared to PKCP-D70-2-a. PKCP-D70-2-a and PKCP-D70-2-b showed stronger radical scavenging capacities. The results also signified that polysaccharides from Pinus koraiensis pinecone could be investigated as potential antioxidant agents for complementary medicine and for functional foods.
