title: Chemical properties and biological activity of a polysaccharide from Melocactus depressus.
abstract: An arabinogalactan with mean Mr of 6.85 x 10(4), was isolated from the pulps of Melocactus depressus Hook by fractionation on Sephacryl S-300 HR. Chemical and spectroscopic studies indicated that it has a branched arabinogalactan type structure composed of beta-(1-->4) linked D-galactopyranose residues with beta-(1-->3) and beta-(1-->6) branching points. Its structural features include also alpha-(1-->2), alpha-(1-->3) and alpha-(1-->5) linked L-arabinofuranose residues. The polysaccharide demonstrated a phagocytosis stimulating property.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Química de Plantas Medicinais, Núcleo de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Bernadete P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: José P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Parente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029421:Cactaceae; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D005685:Galactans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005685:Galactans; C452981:Mdp1 arabinogalactan; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011134:Polysaccharides; C005653:arabinogalactan