Phosphorylation Enhanced the anti-cancer Therapeutic Activity of Larix sibirica-derived Arabinogalactan in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Cancer is one of the major health concern, underscoring the need for the development of potent anticancer therapeutic agents to overcome the challenges associated with conventional drugs. Several polysaccharides inherently possess mild to strong anticancer properties which can be further enhanced by trivial chemical modifications such as phosphorylation. In the present study, we report the anticancer therapeutic properties of phosphorylated arabinogalactan (P-AG). The synthesized compound P-AG was analyzed for its chemical characteristics via FT-IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. The compound was evaluated for its anti-cancer therapeutic activity in Huh-7 cells followed by in vivo anticancer therapeutic assessment in a diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma Wistar rat model. The chemical characterization of P-AG revealed successful phosphorylation of arabinogalactan. P-AG treatment significantly inhibited the growth of Huh-7 cells (IC₅₀ of 250 µg/mL), whereas AG had no effect at a similar dose. P-AG significantly inhibited tumor cell proliferation, impeded angiogenesis and promoted tumor cell apoptosis thereby reducing total number of hepatic tumors. These findings underscore the enhanced anticancer therapeutic potential of P-AG as compared to AG for the treatment of HCC.