Abstract

Chemical analysis of water soluble polysaccharide isolated form medicinal plant Leucaena Leucocephala

Author(s): Prashant Singh, Amar Bahadur

In the present paper we experimentally showthat polysaccharides extracted form defated seeds of Leucaena leucocephala is water soluble with ash content 0.41% and have negligible content of methoxyl, acetyl and uronic acid. Acidic hydrolysis of polysaccharide gave D-galactose and D-mannose in the molar ratio 1: 4. Graded hydrolysis, librated galactose first, indicates that these residues were present at end groups. Methylated polysaccharides having 25 11.20 D   (chloroform) and hydrolysis gave 2,3,6 tri o-Methyl D-mannose, 2,3-di-o-methyl, D-mannose and 2,3,4,6-terta-omethylD- galactose in themolar ratios 2:3:2. Periodate oxidation shows 25% end group and this result accord with methylation studies. Partial hydrolysis of polysaccharidewith 0.05 inH2SO4 at 100Cfor 12hr gavemannobiose, mannotriose, galactosyl mannobiose together with galactose and mannose. The experimental observation indicates that polysaccharide is a (14)--D mannose substituted at position 6 by galactosyl group.