Structural features and anti-complementary activity of some heteroxylan polysaccharide fractions from the seeds of Plantago major L.

Polysaccharides were isolated from the seeds of Plantago major L. by water extraction and fractionated by ion exchange and size exclusion chromatograp hy. Methods such as methanolysis and GC, methylation analysis and GC-MS, we ak acid hydrolysis, enzyme hydrolysis, C-13, APT, H-1 and 2D heteronuclear (H-1- C-13) chemical shift correlated NMR spectroscopy have revealed that t he polysaccharides isolated are heteroxylans which consist of a 1,4-linked beta-D-Xylp backbone with short side chains attached to position 2 in some 1,4-linked beta-D-Xylp residues and to position 3 in other 1,4-linked beta- D-Xylp residues. The side chains consist of beta-D-Xylp, alpha-L-Araf, alph a-L-Araf 1 --> 3 beta-D-Xylp and alpha-D-GlcpA1 --> 3 alpha-L-Araf. 1,4-lin ked alpha-D-GalpA residues were also detected in addition to small amounts of 1,2,4-linked Rhap and 1,3-, 1,6- and 1,3,6-linked Galp. The crude extrac t and some of the fractions obtained had potent anti-complementary activity . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.