title: Structural features of a pectic polysaccharide from mulberry leaves.
abstract: A pectic polysaccharide SDA was obtained from the boiling water extract of mulberry leaves. It consisted of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, glucose, galactose, and galacturonic acid units in the molar ratio of 5:4:1:2:6:38. Its molecular weight was determined to be 1.5 x 10(4) by high-performance gel filtration chromatography. A combination of linkage analysis, partial acid hydrolysis, ESIMS, (1)H-NMR, and (13)C-NMR spectral analyses revealed its structural features. It was found that SDA possessed an alpha-(1 --> 4)-galacturonan backbone with some insertions of (1 --> 2) Rha residues, with the side chains attached to the O-3 or O-2 position of GalA residues, or the O-4 position of 1,2-linked Rha residues. The side chains contained branched (1 --> 5) linked arabinan, branched (1 --> 3) linked rhamman, linear (1 --> 4) linked xylan, linear (1 --> 4) linked glucan, and linear (1 --> 2) linked galactan. SDA was a new acidic polysaccharide isolated from mulberry leaves for the first time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Shu-Qi
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen-Qing
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-An
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D031625:Morus / Q000737:chemistry*; D010368:Pectins / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D010368:Pectins