Polysaccharides biological activities

A vast cascade of cytokines appear to be induced by the presence of this polysaccharide, and immunopoiesis- and hemopoiesis-inhibition are probably the most prevalent during the first two weeks of daily exposure [61]. Studies relating structure to the biological activity have not been performed. 

MORiNAGA T (1985) Studies on an antitumor polysaccharide RBS derived fi om rice bran. 1. Preparation, physico-chemical properties, and biological activities of RBS. Yakugaku Zasshi, 105(2) 188-93. 

The leaves of large plantain Plantago major L.) are used for wotmd healing in the traditional medicine. The effect might be due to biologically active polysaccharides. A pectin, PMII with anti-complementary activity has been isolated from the leaves by water extraction and ion exchange chromatography (1). 

A considerable amount of extracellular polysaccharides is produced in the process of cultivation of certain plant suspension cultures and the spent culture medium has proved to be an accessible source for their production (1-3). The interest in investigating these extracellular polysaccharides has been quite strong over the past 10-15 years, motivated by their biological activity (4,5). Plants of the Asteraceae family, as well as their cell cultures, have been established to contain polysaccharides with immunostimulating activity (1-6). The object of our research was Helianthus annuus 1805 cell culture (Asteraceae), which according to the preliminary investigation produces a considerable amount of exopolysaccharides. 

Generalising the research into polysaccharides isolated fi om Chinese herbs Yamada (22)concludes that most biological activities are observed in the case of pectic polysaccharides. Besides, results prove that the complementarily active power of these pectins is represented mainly through the branched regions and the activity is regulated by the polygalacturonic regions. 

Polysaccharide fi-action 3 also manifested biological activity. It contained the highest percentage of neutral sugars (78.6%) mainly L-arabinose and D-galactose. Most probably, this is a polysaccharide of pectinoarabinogalactan type. 

To date only homooligogalacturonides from plant pectin have been shown to exhibit the regulatory effects. Meanwhile pectin polysaccharides consist of neutral highly branched blocks, so it was of interest to search for possible biological activity of oligomers released from such structures. 

Sample preparation used to extract proteins from cells prior to analysis is an important step that can have an effect on the accuracy and reproducibility of the results. Proteins isolated from bacterial cells will have co-extracted contaminants such as lipids, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids. In addition various organic salts, buffers, detergents, surfactants, and preservatives may have been added to aid in protein extraction or to retain enzymatic or biological activity of the proteins. The presence of these extraneous materials can significantly impede or affect the reproducibility of analysis if they are not removed prior to analysis. 

Ren Y, Waldron KW, Pacy JE and Ellis PR. 2001. Chemical and histochemical characterization of cell wall polysaccharides in almond seeds in relation to lipid bioavailability. In Pfannhauser W, Fenwick GR and Khokhar S, editors. Biologically Active Phytochemicals in Foods. Cambridge, UK Royal Soc Chem, pp. 448-452. 

As a result of heparin s multiplicity of biological activities and its importance as a major pharmaceutical, other polysaccharides and modified polysaccharides have been examined as potential heparin analogues in drug development (1). These heparin analogues include other GAGs, other non-GAGs, sulfated polysaccharides from plant and animal origins such as lam-... 

Heparin has been found to bind a large number of proteins (Table 3). The biological activity of heparin and related polysaccharides is usually ascribed to their interaction with heparin-binding proteins. These proteins can be classified into classes including (1) enzymes, (2) protease inhibitors, (3) lipoproteins, (4) growth factors, (5) chemokines, (6) selectins, (7) extracellular matrix proteins, (8) receptor proteins, (9) viral coat proteins, (10) nuclear proteins, and (11) other proteins (1). Many heparin-binding proteins are enzymes and enzyme inhibitors. For example, proteases in the coagulation cascade, such as factors Ha, IXa, Xa, Xlla, and Villa, are heparin-... 

M Nagaoka, H Shibata, I Kimura-Takagi, S Hashimoto, R Aiyama, S Ueyama, T Yokokura. Anti-ulcer effects and biological activities of polysaccharides from marine algae. Biofactors 12 264—274, 2000. 

Heparinoid polysaccharides such as heparan sul te and heparin are able to interact with numerous proteins and influence vital biological processes. Heparinoid mimetics were prepared to reduce the structural complexity of heparinoids and to obtain selectivities. This artide summarizes the development of heparinoid mimetics of different classes including representative syntheses and biological activities. Largely simplified compounds with regard to structure and synthetic access are described which maintain or exceed the activity of heparinoid polysaccharides. One of the recipes to increase binding or modify pharmacokinetic parameters was the introduction of hydrophobic groups. 

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