Analyses on properties for physicochemistry, morphology, and structure of Saposhnikovia divaricata polysaccharides / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To extract Saposhnikovia divaricata polysaccharides (SPS) and to analyze the characteristics of their physicochemistry and structures. Methods: Two main polysaccharides, SPS0 and SPS1, were obtained by DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography; UV spectrophotometer, heat stability test, IR spectrometry, Congo-red test, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to determine the physicochemical, morphological, and structural properties of polysaccharides. Results: The uronic acid contents of SPS0 and SPS1 were 12.07% and 0.95%, respectively. IR spectrometry showed SPS0 had a specific absorption peak of -COOH. Congo-red test indicated that only SPS0 had a triple helix conformation. ESEM and AFM showed that SPS0 was neat and orderly, with a hyper branched structure, but irregular figure and fewer branches were observed in SPS1. Conclusion: SPS0 is an acidic and hyper branched polysaccharide, while SPS1 is a homogeneous polysaccharide including β-D-pyranose sugar residues with better heat stability.