title: Structural characteristics of a bioactive polysaccharide from Sorghum arundinaceum.
abstract: A polysaccharide, an alpha-D-glucan with an apparent molecular weight of 6.85 x 10(4), called PSa glucan, was isolated from fresh seeds of Sorghum arundinaceum by fractionation on Sephacryl S-300 HR and Sephadex G-25. Chemical and spectroscopic studies indicated that it has a highly branched glucan type structure composed of alpha-(1-->4) linked D-glucopyranose residues with (1-->3), (1-->6) branching points, and a significant amount of alpha-(1-->6) branching to alpha-(1-->3) linked D-glucopyranose residues. The anti-inflammatory activity of the polysaccharide was performed using the capillary permeability assay.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Química de Plantas Medicinais, Núcleo de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, PO Box 68045, CEP 21944-970 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bernadete P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Graziela M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Tatiana P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: José P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Parente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013256:Steroids
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011134:Polysaccharides; D013256:Steroids