Structural features and complement fixing activity of polysaccharides from Codonopsis pilosula Nannf. var. modesta L.T.Shen roots

Yuan-Feng Zou; Xing-Fu Chen; Karl Egil Malterud; Frode Rise; Hilde Barsett; Kari Tvete Inngjerdingen; Terje Einar Michaelsen; Berit Smestad Paulsen

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.07.036

Structural features and complement fixing activity of polysaccharides from Codonopsis pilosula Nannf. var. modesta L.T.Shen roots

Carbohydr Polym. 2014 Nov 26:113:420-9. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.07.036. Epub 2014 Jul 24.

Authors

Yuan-Feng Zou¹, Xing-Fu Chen², Karl Egil Malterud³, Frode Rise⁴, Hilde Barsett³, Kari Tvete Inngjerdingen³, Terje Einar Michaelsen³, Berit Smestad Paulsen³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1068, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: yuanfeng.zou@farmasi.uio.no.
² Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Southwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, PR China.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1068, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1033, Blindern, 0315 Oslo, Norway.

PMID: 25256503
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.07.036

Abstract

Two pectic polysaccharides, 50 WCP-II-I and 100 WCP-II-I, were obtained from 50 and 100 °C water extracts of Codonopsis pilosula roots by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The study of the sub-fractions obtained after pectinase degradation showed that the complement fixation activities of these pectins are expressed mainly by their ramified regions. The structure studies of native and sub-fractions showed the 50 WCP-II-I is a pectic polysaccharide, with long homogalacturonan regions (some of the galacturonic acid units were methyl esterified), interrupted by one short rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) region. The side chains of the RG-I region are arabinogalactan type I (AG-I) and type II (AG-II) attached on position 4 of rhamnose. The 100 WCP-II-I has two main ramified regions, one is galacturonan region with AG-I side chain on position 2 of GalA, and the other one is RG-I region with AG-II side chain on position 4 of Rha.

Keywords: Codonopsis pilosula; Complement fixation activity; Polysaccharides; Rhamnogalacturonan I.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Chromatography, Gel
Chromatography, Ion Exchange
Codonopsis / chemistry*
Galactans / chemistry
Hexuronic Acids / chemistry
Pectins
Plant Roots / chemistry*
Polysaccharides / chemistry*
Polysaccharides / isolation & purification
Polysaccharides / ultrastructure
Water / chemistry

Substances

Galactans
Hexuronic Acids
Polysaccharides
Water
galacturonic acid
Pectins
arabinogalactan