| Summary: | A homogalacturonan pectin (HG, designated as WJP-F80) was extracted from the peel of winter jujube (<i>Zizyphus jujuba</i> Mill. Cv. <i>Dongzao</i>) and separated via ethanol-graded precipitation. The structural and conformational features were elucidated through HPAEC-PAD, GC-MS, 2D NMR, and HPSEC-MALLS studies. In vivo assessments were carried out to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of WJP-F80 against CCl<sub>4</sub>-induced injury of mice. Results showed that WJP-F80 was a linear 1,4-α-galacturonan with partially methyl-esterified at <i>O</i>-6 of Gal<i>p</i>A and occasionally acetylation. The Mw of WJP-F80 was determined as 45.3 kDa, the polydispersity was calculated as 1.56, and the R<i>g</i> was measured as 22.7 nm in 0.1 M NaNO<sub>3</sub>. The conformational analysis revealed that WJP-F80 exhibited as rigid stiff chain in low Mw range, while aggregation by self-assembly of HG chains lead to high Mw and random coil conformation. In vivo studies indicated that WJP-F80 can protect the livers of mice from acute injury induced via CCl<sub>4</sub> by decreasing the serum biochemical markers of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to normal levels. This work provides a theoretical basis for the value-added deep processing of winter jujube.
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