Structural Characterization of Pectic Polysaccharides From Bupleurum chinense DC

Abstract

Bupleurum chinense DC, a traditional medicinal plant in China that has many pharmacological effects, contains polysaccharide as one of its active components. In this study, we isolated and structurally characterized the polysaccharide from B. chinense. Water-soluble polysaccharides (termed WBCP) were extracted from the plant and fractionated by anion-exchange and size exclusion chromatographies. From this procedure, we obtained a homogeneous acidic polysaccharide (WBCP-A2) and determined its monosaccharide composition. Analysis by FT infrared and 13C NMR spectroscopies, along with enzymatic hydrolysis, indicated that WBCP-A2 is a pectic polysaccharide, composed of rhamnogalacturonan I, rhamnogalacturonan II, highly methyl-esterified homogalacturonan (HG), and either non- or low methyl-esterified HG domains. These different fractions may be covalently linked through HG segments to form the complex pectin molecules.

The Structural Characteristics of an Acidic Water-Soluble Polysaccharide from Bupleurum chinense DC and Its In Vivo Anti-Tumor Activity on H22 Tumor-Bearing Mice

“…In recent years, researchers have isolated different kinds of polysaccharides from Bupleurum to explore their structure. The monosaccharide compositions of other Bupleurum polysaccharide analogues were compared with BCP, as shown in Table S3 [ 11 , 12 , 15 , 16 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]. The detection of galacturonic acid in BCP was consistent with the previous determination of uronic acid in BCP by the carbazole sulfonic acid method [ 47 ].…”