Structure analysis of water-soluble polysaccharide CPPS3 isolated from Codonopsis pilosula.

Codonopsis pilosula is a perennial species of flowering plants propagated in Northeast Asia. A water-soluble polysaccharide, CPPS(3), was extracted from the root of Codonopsis pilosula by boiled water extraction and ethanol precipitation. The molecular weight was estimated to be 7.4 x 10(4) Da determined by using Gel permeation chromatography. Monosaccharide composition and the structure of the polysaccharide were determined by gas spectroscopy, Fourier transform IR (FT-IR) spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy and some chemical method analysis was made. The components were galactose, arabinose and rhamnose in the molar ratio of 1.13:1.12:1. The main chain of CPPS(3) is illustrated to be (1-->3)-linked-beta-GalpNAc, (1-->3)-linked-alpha-Rhap and (1-->2,3)-beta-Galp.