R. G. Ovodova

Thin-layer chromatography of carbohydrates

The separation of carbohydrates on thin layers of silica gel is due first of all to the type and quantity of impregnating salt. The results of chromatography of carbohydrates on thin layers of silica gel in the presence of sodium mono- and dihydrogen phosphate are often better than those of paper chromatography (e.g. a good separation of complex mixtures, less sensitivity to inorganic impurities, and faster separation). The present method can be recommended for the study of the monosaccharide composition of oligo- and polysaccharides.

Effects of polysaccharides from Silene vulgaris on phagocytes

The effects of the polysaccharides isolated from the intact plant (pectic polysaccharides P1, P2 and P3) and from the callus (acidic arabinogalactan C1 and pectin C2) of Silene vulgaris on phagocytic activity were studied in relation to an uptaking capacity and a myeloperoxidase activity of the peripheral human neutrophils and monocytes and rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Both intact plant and callus polysaccharides were shown to increase uptaking capacity of peripheral phagocytes. The callus acidic arabinogalactan C1 was only found to stimulate lysosomal activity of the peripheral phagocytes. Some polysaccharides studied were established to effect on peritoneal resident macrophages. Pectins P1, P3 and C2 failed to enhance myeloperoxidase activity of the macrophages in calcium-free solution, whereas the effect of callus arabinogalactan C1 was established to be independent of extracellular calcium. Polysaccharides studied failed to influence neither complement receptor CR3- nor scavenger receptor SR-mediated adhesion of the macrophages. The data obtained demonstrate that the intact S. vulgaris and its callus may be used as sources of immunoactive polysaccharides and that pectins and weakly acidic arabinogalactan seemed to stimulate macrophages through different mechanisms. Complement receptor type 3 and scavenger receptor failed to mediate the cell activation induced by plant polysaccharides.

The pectic substances of zosteraceae

Abstract The polysaccharide composition of several Zosteraceae plants has been studied and found to be nearly identical. Zosterine isolated from various Zosteraceae species appeared to be a homogeneous, pectic polysaccharide containing D -galacturonic acid, D -galactose, D -xylose, L -arabinose, D -apiose, and a mono-O-methyl- D -xylose as components of its carbohydrate chain.

The pectic substances of zosteraceae: Part IV. Pectinase digestion of zosterine

Abstract Pectinase digestion of zosterine furnished apiogalacturonan (AGU), an oligosaccharide mixture, and D -galacturonic acid, thereby suggesting a structure that contains, in part, galacturonan chains free of glycosidic bonds with neutral sugars. AGU, which was homogeneous and resistant to pectinase, was composed of D -galacturonic acid and D -apiose residues in a ratio of ≈4:5. Partial hydrolysis with acid, periodate oxidation, and methylation studies proved AGU to possess a branched structure with a linear, α-(1→4)-linked D -galacturonan chain substituted in the 2-, 3-, or 2,3-positions by D -apiose residues. Pseudoaldobiouronic acids, consisting of D -xylose or L -arabinose residues linked to D - galacturonic acid, were isolated from the oligosaccharide mixture, thereby demonstrating the presence of glycosidic bonds between the galacturonan chain and neutral fragments of zosterine.

Pectic polysaccharides of the fresh plum Prunus domestica L. isolated with a simulated gastric fluid and their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities

A pectic polysaccharide, designated as PD, was extracted from fresh plums (Prunus domestica L.) with a simulated gastric fluid. Galacturonan, which was partially substituted with methyl and O-acetyl ester groups, and rhamnogalacturonan were the main constituents of the linear regions of the sugar chains of PD. The ramified region contained mainly 1,4-linked β-d-galactopyranose residues and, to a lesser extent, 1,5-linked α-l-arabinofuranose residues. The separation of PD, by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, yielded two pectic fractions: PD-1 and PD-2, eluted with 0.1 and 0.2 M NaCl, respectively. Enzymatic digestion of PD with 1,4-α-d-polygalacturonase yielded the fraction PD-E. The parent pectin PD and the PD-1 fraction were found to diminish the adhesion of peritoneal leukocytes at the concentrations of 0.05-1.0mg/ml. However, the PD-E fraction failed to have an effect on cell adhesion at the concentrations of 0.05-0.1mg/ml. PD, PD-1 and PD-E were found to inhibit the production of superoxide anion radicals by reducing xanthine oxidase activity by 38%, 97% and 47%, respectively. Therefore, the PD-1 fraction appeared to be an active fragment of pectic macromolecule isolated from fresh plum with a simulated gastric fluid.

Structure of pectic polysaccharides isolated from onion Allium cepa L. using a simulated gastric medium and their effect on intestinal absorption

The polysaccharide fraction extracted with simulated gastric juice from onion bulbs contained a mixture of galactan with short-length sugar chains, pectic polysaccharides and evident content of proteinaceous material. Galacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan were the main constituents of the linear regions of the sugar chains of the pectic polysaccharides. The ramified regions included rhamnogalacturonan-I. NMR data revealed that the side chains of the ramified region contained mainly 1,4-linked β-D-galactopyranose residues and lesser content of 1,3-linked β-D-galactopyranose and 1,5-linked α-L-arabinofuranose residues. Furthermore, the proteinaceous material was determined to be partly linked to the sugar chains. The polysaccharide fraction was found to decrease absorption of ovalbumin (OVA) to the blood from the gut lumen. The serum OVA level was threefold lower in mice fed with OVA mixed with the onion pectins compared with the control group, which was administered OVA alone. Protein removal failed to abolish the inhibitory effect of the onion polysaccharides, confirming that the polysaccharide chains are the active component of onion gastric juice extract.

Branching of the galacturonan backbone of comaruman, a pectin from the marsh cinquefoil Comarum palustre L.

Galacturonan, the main constituent of the backbone (core) of the comaruman macromolecule, a pectin from the marsh cinquefoil Comarum palustre L., was obtained on partial acid hydrolysis of the pectin. Using atomic force microscopy and methylation analysis of the galacturonan, the backbone of the comaruman macromolecule was shown to contain branches as side chains consisting of α-1,4-linked residues of D-galactopyranosyl uronic acid attached to the 2-and 3-positions of the galacturonic acid residues of the core, in addition to linear regions of α-1,4-D-galacturonan. A few side chains appear to attach to 2,3-positions of the D-galacturonic acid residues.

Anti-inflammatory activity of pectins and their galacturonan backbone

It has been shown that pectin polysaccharides from different plants, depending on their structure, can either protect the intestinal walls of mammals against damage and inhibit the development of inflammation or, on the contrary, have proinflammatory effects. At the same time, galacturonan isolated from any pectin, being the main carbohydrate chain (backbone) of its macromolecule, shows a marked anti-inflammatory effect. A decrease in the quantity of neutrophiles in the intestinal wall after induced inflammation indicates that the anti-inflammatory effects of pectins can be based on their influence on the functional activity of leukocytes.

The Pectic substances of Zosteraceae: Part II. The structural features of the pectic acid

Abstract The pectic acid obtained on partial hydrolysis of zosterine, which is a pectic polysaccharide of various Zosteraceae plants, has been shown to be a linear galacturonan containing (1→4)- and, possibly, (1→5)-linked residues of D -galacturonic acid.

[Structural study of bergenan, a pectin from Bergenia crassifolia].

A pectin polysaccharide named bergenan was isolated from the freshly collected leaves of the leather bergenia Bergenia crassifolia by extraction with an aqueous solution of ammonium oxalate. The main component of its carbohydrate chain was shown to be the residues of D-galacturonic acid (about 80%). In addition, the polysaccharide contains the residues of galactose, arabinose, and rhamnose; their total content is less than 15%. It was shown that the bergenan samples from bergenia leaves collected at different vegetation periods (from July to September) do not substantially differ either in monosaccharide composition or in the viscosity of their aqueous solutions. The results of enzymatic hydrolysis by α-1,4-galacturonase (pectinase), partial acidic hydrolysis, NMR spectroscopy, and methylation with subsequent analysis of the results by GC-MS indicate that the bergenan macromolecule contains the regions of a linear α-1,4-D-galactopyranosyluronan and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I). Galacturonan responds for a greater part of the macromolecule. A considerable amount of its constitutent galacturonic acid residues are present as methyl esters. The side chains in RG-I are attached to the rhamnopyranose residues of the backbone by a 1,4-linkages and are composed of the residues of terminal arabinofuranose and galactopyranose, 1,5-linked α-arabinofuranose, and 1,4- and 1,6-linked β-galactopyranose. The branching points of the side chains of the RG-I molecule are 3,4- and 3,6-di-O-substituted galactose residues.