An acidic polysaccharide having activity on the reticuloendothelial system from the root of Astragalus mongholicus

An acidic polysaccharide, designated as AMon-S, was isolated from the roots of Astragalus mongholicus BUNGE. It was homogeneous on electrophoresis and gel chromatography, and its molecular mass was estimated to be 7.6 x 10(4). It showed significant reticuloendothelial system-potentiating activity in a carbon clearance test. It is composed of L-arabinose: D-galactose: D-galacturonic acid: D-glucuronic acid in the molar ratio of 18:18:1:1, in addition to small amounts of O-acetyl groups and peptide moiety. A part of the hexuronic acid residues exist as the methyl esters. Methylation analysis, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance and periodate oxidation studies enabled elucidation of its structural features and revealed mainly alpha-arabino-beta-3,6-galactan type structural units.