Constituents of the seed of Malva verticillata. VI. Characterization and immunological activities of a novel acidic polysaccharide.

A novel acidic polysaccharide, designated as MVS-VI, was isolated from the seeds of Malva verticillata L. It was homogeneous on electrophoresis and gel chromatography, and its molecular mass was estimated to be 26000. It is composed of L-arabinose: D-xylose: D-galactose: D-glucose: L-rhamnose: D-galacturonic acid in the molar ratio of 30: 15: 20: 3: 2: 10, in addition to small amounts of peptide moiety. Methylation analysis, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance and periodate oxidation studies indicated its structural features to have mainly acidic alpha-arabino-3,6-beta-galactan type structural units. MVS-VI showed significant reticuloendothelial system-potentiating activity in a carbon clearance test, and it possesses remarkable anti-complementary activity.