Structural and Phytochemical Investigation of Water Soluble Polysaccharide Isolated From Seeds of Cassia Obtusifolia | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Cassia obtusifolia family Leguminosae (Fabaceae) is commonly known as Sickle pod, Takla, Chakunda and Coffee cassia, wildly grown throughout India and other tropical countries The seed of Cassia obtusifolia is a food or herbal medicine used for improving eyesight, treating constipa- tion and other disorders, and polysaccharides have been implicated in these pharmacological activities. The endosperm of the seeds, Cassia gum, is a commercial thickening or gelling agent, composed mainly of galactomannans. However, the whole seeds of C. obtusifolia, rather than the endosperm, are used in folk medicine or food, which might contain more complex constituents of polysaccharides. The current investigation found that a water-soluble galactomannan consisting of D-galactose and D-mannose in the molar ratio 2 4 has been isolated from the seeds of Cassia angustifolia. The galactomannan extraction was based on mechanical separation of the endosperm, water dissolution, centrifugation and precipitation with acetone. The characterized polysaccrides from the gum has the basic structure of galactomannans with a main chain of (1→4)-linked β-D-mannopyranosyl units to which single α-(1→6)-D-linked galactopyranosyl units.