SOLUTION PROPERTIES OF THE CAPSULAR POLYSACCHARIDE PRODUCED KLEBSIELLA-PNEUMONIAE K-40

This paper reports some physicochemical properties of the capsular pol ysaccharide produced by Klebsiella pneumoniae serotype K40 (K40-CPS) i n aqueous solution. The polymer has a linear hexasaccharide repeating unit containing one glucuronic acid residue as the only ionizable grou p. Potentiometric, viscometric, chiro-optical and theological measurem ents have been carried out over a range of ionic strength, pH and temp erature, with the aim of characterizing the conformational state of th e polysaccharide in aqueous solution. All the data reported indicate t hat the K40-CPS does not undergo a cooperative conformational transiti on under the investigated experimental conditions. Furthermore, the vi scosity data and the viscoelastic spectra suggest that the K40-CPS is rather flexible and adopts a random coil conformation in solution.