Rupali Sethi

Structure elucidation and properties of a non-ionic galactomannan derived from the Cassia pleurocarpa seeds.

A non-ionic water soluble galactomannan made up of d-galactose and d-mannose was isolated from the seed endosperm of Cassia pleurocarpa. Acid catalyzed fragmentation, periodate oxidation, methylation and selective enzymatic hydrolysis revealed that the repeating unit of the heteropolysaccharide had a backbone of beta(1-->4) linked d-mannopyranosyl units to which D-galactopyranosyl units are linked as side chains through alpha(1-->6) linkages. The properties such as viscosity, water/saline retention, gelling behavior, and shelf life of the galactomannan indicated that the material may be exploited in biomedical applications for example drug delivery and tissue engineering fields.

A non-ionic water-soluble seed gum from Ipomoea campanulata

A non-ionic water-soluble galactomannan, having galactose and mannose in 2:3 molar ratio was isolated from endosperm of the seeds of Ipomoea campanulata. The seed gum was found to have linear chain of beta (1-->4) linked mannopyranosyl units with D-galactose side chains attached through alpha (1-->6) linkage to the main chain. This structure is similar to many commercial gums like Guar, Carob and Locust bean gum. Various physical properties of the gum were studied in order to explore the possibility of commercial exploitation of the seed gum.

Ipomoea digitata Seed Gum and the Gum-g-polyacrylamide: Potential Pharmaceutical Gums

Ipomoea digitata plant is reported to be highly medicinal, and its seeds were found to contain a substantial amount of seed gum. Owing to the high medicinal and industrial importance of the seed gums in general and the high medicinal value of the plant itself, seed gum from I. digitata was subjected to phytochemical investigations. The seed gum has been found to have a structure and properties similar to guar gum and locust bean gum - gums of pharmaceutical importance. The gum was found to have a linear chain of β (1 → 4) linked mannopyranosyl residues, and α-D-galactose units are attached to some of the mannopyranosyl units glycosidically. As guar-g-polyacrylamide hydrogel is reported to be used in water transport and drug release, graft copolymerization of I. digitata seed gum was carried out with acrylamide using potassium persulfate/ascorbic acid redox initiator and Ag+ ions as catalyst, and the grafted gum was found to have higher viscosity and shelf life. Ipomoea digitata seed gum and its graft copolymer with polyacrylamide has potential to be used as a pharmaceutical gum.