Polysaccharide fragments

Bacterial infections elicit a series of acute-phase responses which include central nervous system effects such as changes in body temperature and increased slow-wave sleep. Dead bacteria [54] and murein preparations [55] as well as other bacterial cell-wall products induce similar responses. Intravenous injections of rabbits with suspensions of pseudomurein from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum also alter sleep and brain temperature. The mechanisms responsible for these somnogenic and pyrogenic effects are unknown [56]. It has been demonstrated that in a rat arthritis model, intra-articular injection of high doses of pseudomurein-polysaccharide fragments from Methanobacterium formicicum caused an acute inflammation [57]. 

Meningococcal vaccine is an inactivated vaccine composed of capsular polysaccharide fragments of Neisseria meningitidis. There are four polysaccharide serotypes represented in the vaccine A. C. Y, and W-135. The type A polysaccharide consists of a polymer of Af-acctyl-O-mannosaminc phosphate the group C polysaccharide is mostly Af-acctyl-O-ace-tylncuraminic acid. Indications are... 

Contains 5 meg 0.5 ml HBsAg and 7.5 meg Haemophilus influenzae type B purified capsular polysaccharide fragments conjugated to 125 meg Neisseria meningitidisouler membrane protein complex. 

Denitration can be achieved by strong sulfuric acid, but depolymerization of the carbohydrate also occurs. Alkaline hydrolysis gives rise to a mixture of polysaccharide fragmentation products as well as inorganic nitrates and nitrites. Nitrate groups are removed without appreciable degradation... 

One theory (Doss and Matiar-Vahar 1965) states that gangliosides accumulate in the brain of HD patients, because the ganglion cell has no other way to metabolize polysaccharide fragments except using them for ganglioside synthesis. However, it is unlikely that increased formation of gangliosides would lead to their accumulation in the absence of a simultaneous disturbance of the degrading system or of impairment of a feedback mechanism. 

Lysine on BSA was also targeted for glycoconjugation by Kovac et al. by using a series of squarate derivative installed on Vibrio cholerae polysaccharide fragments, of which an example (2.10) is shown in Fig. 5. Also in this case, the advantage of using squarate derivatives as 2.9 is that it can be used in excess and the unreacted material can be recovered. 

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