Glycoprotein separation test for ginseng glycopeptide complexes based on ultrafiltration methods

Abstract The ginseng glycopeptide complex has an important medical role in the field of medicine, and can enhance the body's defense ability. Glycoproteins are important components of ginseng glycopeptide complex. Isolation of glycoproteins can provide a clearer understanding of the specific components of ginseng glycopeptide complex. However, the current separation methods still have the problems of incomplete separation of glycoproteins and poor separation effect. In this study, a glycoprotein separation method combining ultrafiltration and ion exchange chromatography was proposed to solve the above problems. The method was also used to analyze the constituents in the prepared ginseng glycopeptide complex. The results showed that the total sugar content in the prepared ginseng glycopeptide complex reached 70.1%. Furthermore, the molecular weight content of the complex distributed in the interval of 0–0.5 kDa reached 58.4% and contained 19 amino acids. The complexes and glycoproteins after isolation of glycoproteins were also examined. The results showed that after isolation, the remaining complex contained only 2.4% of sugar. Moreover, aspartic acid, serine, alanine, and threonine, which were related to glycoproteins, had completely disappeared. The remaining complex contained almost no proteins and amino acids related to glycoproteins. In conclusion, the glycoprotein separation method proposed in the study is able to accurately separate the glycoproteins in ginseng glycopeptide complex and eliminate the glycoproteins-related sugars, proteins and amino acids in ginseng glycopeptide complex. This study lays the foundation for further research on the properties of ginseng glycopeptide complex.