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 chromatography. Methods such as methanolysis and GC, methylation analysis and GC-MS, weak acid hydrolysis, enzyme hydrolysis, 13C, APT, 1H and 2D heteronuclear (1H–13C) chemical shift correlated NMR spectroscopy have revealed that the polysaccharides isolated are heteroxylans which consist of a 1,4-linked (β-D-Xylp backbone with short side chains attached to position 2 in some 1,4-linked β-D-Xylp residues and to position 3 in other 1,4-linked β-D-Xylp residues. The side chains consist of β-D-Xylp, α-L-Araf, α-L-Araf 1→3 β-D-Xylp and α-D-Glcp A1→3 α-L-Araf.1,4-linked α-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 extract and some of the fractions obtained had potent anti-complementary activity.