Structural Analysis and Anticoagulant Activity of Polysaccharides from Opuntia milpa alta

[Objective] To analyze the components and structure of Opuntia milpa alta polysaccharides, and to study its anticoagulant activity. [Method] The crude polysaccharides （CP） were prepared from Opuntia milpa alta using hot water extraction and ethanol precipitation method, purified by anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography to study its monosaccharide composition, weight-average molecular weight distribution and main chain structure. And a preliminary study was conducted on the anticoagulant activity of polysaccharide components. [Result] The polysaccharide components WSP1, WSP2a and WSP3 were obtained from CP by the anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. WSP1 was mainly composed of galactose with a weight-average molecular weight of 2.32×106. WSP2a consisted of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose, glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid, the contents were 6.3%, 32.3%, 12.9%, 1.5%, 4.8%, 37.1%, 0.64% and 4.4%, respectively. WSP3 mainly composed of arabinose, xylose, rhamnose and trace of glucose, mannose, uronic acid. The weight-average molecular weight of WSP2a and WSP3 was 1.24×106 and 7.92×106, respectively. WSP2 prolonged the activated partial thromboplatin time （APTT） and thrombin time （TT）, while had no significant effect on the prothrombin time （PT） in vitro, indicating that anticoagulant activity of WSP2 functions by affecting the intrinsic coagulation system. The test of inhibition to the conversion of fibrinogen into thrombin showed that WSP2a and WSP3 had obvious anticoagulant activity. Methylation analysis indicated that the main chain of WSP2a was constituted of 1, 4-GalA, 1, 2-Rha and 1, 2, 4-Rha. [Conclusion] This study provided experimental basis for the optimization and development of polysaccharide resources from cactus

Structural features of a polysaccharide from the leaves of Thea sinensis^+

A polysaccharide of Thea sinensis, TSA, has been isolated from the fresh leaves as a major fraction of polysaccharides. The mol. wt. was estimated to be 850,000 with [α]_D^(15)+ 25.5°(c=0.75, H_2O). The component sugars were determined as L-rhamnose, L-arabinose, and D-galactose in molar ratio of 0.54: 1.0: 0.94. The O-acetyl groups locating on galactose residues position 2 were also iden- tified and the content was 3.8％. The ^(13)C NMR spectrum and CrO_3 oxidation of TSA indicated the Rhamnose, Arabinose and Galactose to be in α-, α- and β-configurations, respectively. Me- thylation analysis, periodate oxidation, partial hydrolysis and ^(13) C NMR. spectrum showed that TSA. is a branched galactoarabinan.

Konjac glucomannan and xanthan gum as compression coat for colonic drug delivery:experimental and theoretical evaluations

Compression coated tablets for oral colon specific delivery systems were developed with a mixture polysaccharide of konjac glucomannan(KGM)and xanthan gum(XG)as the compression coat.Diffusion of cimetidine from compression coated tablets was investigated by release experiment in Vitro.0.22U/mLβ-mannanase was applied in the mimic colon solution.The structure of the mixture polysaccharide was studied by an atomic force microscope(AFM).The experimental results indicate that a KGM70 tablet with a 0.4 g coat is of good design,due to a less than 5%drug loss in the mimic upper gastrointestinal solution by the synergistic interaction between XG and KGM,and due to about 50%cumulative release in the mimic colon solution by degradation after 24 hours.The release mechanism and model are discussed based on different periods of drug release including the delay of the drug,the constant release without an enzyme and the delay of degradation.Under hydrolysis byβ-mannanase,drug release from the tablet with KGM coat shows an exponential increase,while that from the dosage with the mixture polysaccharide coat is an approximately zero-order process in which the constant release rate relates to the release velocity of a non-degraded system,the content of KGM within the coat and the average molecular weight ratio of KGM to XG.It was found that XG was the framework of the polysaccharide mixtures by AFM,which is similar to the analysis results from experiments on drug release.