Polysaccharides

Bacterial exopolysaccharide from gram negative Flavobacterium spp.

Gycosaminoglycan in many organs; joint lubricant and shock absorber

The polysaccharide, known as glucuronoxylomannan - produced by fruit bodies and in pure culture conditions - has been shown to consist of a mannan backbone that is glycosylated with xylan and glucuronic acid chains in a regular repeating structure. Laboratory tests have associated a number of biological activities with Cryptococcus neoformans glucuronoxylomannan, including immunostimulatory, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic, hepatoprotective, and antiallergic effects. The image was kindly provided by Dr. Chris Lawson.

The fluorescence intensity of these Rhodamine B isothiocyanate-dextrans varies much less than with FITC-dextrans.

A fucan sulphate found in brown marine algae (Phaeophyta-typically Fucus vesiculotus, Ascophyllum nodosum, Alaria and Cladosiphon (illustrated) and has been shown to have anticoagulant activity. The main constituents are α-1,4 and α-1,2 linked L-fucose sulphates although galactose also occurs and there are many variations of the basic structure found in different species of Phaeophyta. The fucose content of the fucan is approx. 51% and it also contains galactose (approx. 6.3%), uronic acid (approx. 15.5%) and sulfate (approx. 25%). The image was kindly provided by Prof Mike Guiry from Cork who runs ‘The Seaweed Site’.

Starch component; highly branched glucan

Hydroxyethyl cellulose (EHEC) is a non-ionic, water-soluble cellulose derivative produced by introduction of ethylene oxide groups to the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose backbone. Hydroxyethyl cellulose is useful as a water thickener, rheological control additive, protective colloid, binder, stabilizer, suspending agent and film former.  It is used in many industrial applications including latex paints, emulsion polymerization, petroleum, paper, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and many other applications.

Laminaran is a polysaccharide that co-occurs with fucoidan and alginate in brown seaweeds such as Laminaria digitata, Laminaria cloustoni, Eisenia bicyclis and Thallus laminariae. It is a β-1,3-linked glucan which it is claimed stimulates the immune system in mammals and fish. The image was kindly provided by Prof Mike Guiry from Cork who runs ‘The Seaweed Site’.

The disaccharide repeating unit of chondroitin sulphate consists of N-acetyl galactosamine sulphate linked β1,4 to glucuronic acid.  Each monosaccharide may be left unsulphated, sulphated once, or sulphated twice. The most common pattern has the hydroxyl groups of the 4 and 6 positions of the N-acetyl-galactosamine sulphated, with some chains having the position 2 of the glucuronic acid sulphated.

Laminaran is a polysaccharide that co-occurs with fucoidan and alginate in brown seaweeds such as Laminaria digitata, Laminaria cloustoni, Eisenia bicyclis and Thallus laminariae. It is a β-1,3-linked glucan which it is claimed stimulates the immune system in mammals and fish. The image was kindly provided by Prof Mike Guiry from Cork who runs ‘The Seaweed Site’.

LH 21 is a low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose. It is produced by the fluorination of cellulose, followed by substitution with a variety of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides to produce a complex carbohydrate. LH 21 is synthesized for custom needs, glycosylated, methylated, and modified at the sugar level with click chemistry. It has a CAS No. 9004-64-2 and is Carbohydrate in nature. LH 21 has high purity and can be used in many applications including as an excipient or additive in pharmaceutical formulations.

Pectin is a highly complex polysaccharide matrix that is found in the primary walls of dicotyledenous and monocotyledenous plants and gymnosperms, including potato. A key fragment of this complex is rhamnogalacturonan I, containing a backbone of the repeating disaccharide  [-4)-α-D-GalpA-(1,2)-α-L-Rhap-(1,]. Several applications for RG1 have been described including drug targeting to the colon via the oral administration route for local treatment of e.g. inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.  This has several advantages such as needle-free administration and low infection risk. In the gastro-intestinal tract RG-I is only degraded by the action of the colonic microflora. High purity rhamnogalacturonan I is also used in research, biochemical enzyme assays and in vitro diagnostic analysis.

Dextran is α-(1,6)-linked α-D-glucan with α-(1,3)-linked glucose branch points produced by fermentation of Leuconostoc mesenteroides via the action of the enzyme dextransucrase on sucrose.  The main use for native dextran is as an extender in blood transfusions and products having a range of sharp cutoff molecular weights are produced commercially for this and other applications.  A complex of iron with dextran, known as iron dextran, is used as a source of iron for baby piglets which are often anaemic at birth.

Glycogen is a highly branched polysaccharide of glucose that serves as a form of energy storage in animals and fungi. It is the main storage form of glucose in the body.  In humans, glycogen is made and stored primarily in liver and muscle cells and functions as the second most important energy storage molecule to fat, which is held in adipose tissue. Glycogen is analogous to starch and has a structure similar to amylopectin, but is more extensively branched and compact than starch. It occurs as granules in the cytosol/cytoplasm in many cell types, and plays an important role in the glucose cycle.

Sodium carboxymethyl dextran is a white, odourless and tasteless powder, which is freely soluble in water or electrolyte solutions. Applications that have been described for carboxymethyl dextran include carriers of paramagnetic contrast agents, preparation of conjugates of pharmacologically active compounds and carboxymethyl dextrans in biosensors.  A number of other uses in cosmetics, agriculture, foods, paints and textiles have been the subject of patent applications.

Polydextrose is a synthetic polymer of glucose. It is a food ingredient classified as soluble fibre by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as Health Canada, as of April 2013. It is frequently used to increase the non-dietary fibre content of food, to replace sugar, and to reduce calories and fat content. It is a multi-purpose food ingredient synthesized from dextrose (glucose), plus about 10 percent sorbitol and 1 percent citric acid. Its E number is E1200. It was approved by FDA in 1981.

Inulin is a prebiotic dietary fibre with a mildly sweet taste that promotes digestive health by supporting growth of healthy and balanced microbiota. In diagnostics, inulin is used for determining the glomerular filtration rate in functional kidney testing. Chemically, inulin is a chain of fructose molecules terminated at the reducing end with glucose. Thus, inulin is a fructan consisting of linear chains of β-(2,1) linked fructose residues, terminated at the reducing end by an α-D-(1,2)-glucopyranoside moiety.  It has a degree of polymerization typically between 2 and 60 (5). The β-(2,1) bond in inulin resists digestion in the gastrointestinal tract and is therefore responsible for its lower caloric value and beneficial effects on colon microbiota. A more functional form of inulin is produced by removing all fractions with chain lengths lower than 10.

Gum karaya is exuded from Sterculia urens, a bushy tree found in dry regions of North India. Due to its extensive swelling capacity in water it is used as a laxative and as a denture adhesive. The structure consists of D-galactose, D-glucuronic acid and L-rhamnose but the detailed molecular structure is still incompletely known.

Complex glucan (a 1-6) from Leuconostoc spp.; extender in blood transfusions

Sodium carboxymethyl dextran (CM-dextran) is a white, odourless and tasteless powder, which is freely soluble in water or electrolyte solutions. The product has a pronounced polyanionic character, due to the high degree of carboxyl substitution.  Applications that have been described for CM-dextran include carriers of paramagnetic contrast agents, preparation of conjugates of pharmacologically active compounds and CM-dextrans in biosensors.  A number of other uses in cosmetics, agriculture, foods, paints and textiles have been the subject of patent applications.

Dextran is α-(1,6)-linked α-D-glucan with α-(1,3)-linked glucose branch points produced by fermentation of Leuconostoc mesenteroides via the action of the enzyme dextransucrase on sucrose.  The main use for native dextran is as an extender in blood transfusions and products having a range of sharp cut-off molecular weights are produced commercially for this and other applications. A complex of iron with dextran, known as iron dextran, is used as a source of iron for baby piglets which are often anaemic at birth.

Danaparoid sodium (the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Orgaran; Merck Sharp and Dohme) is a biopolymeric non-heparin drug that is used as anticoagulant and antithrombotic agent, approved for the prophylaxis of postoperative deep-vein thrombosis.  It consists of a mixture of three glycosaminoglycans: heparan sulphate, dermatan sulphate, and chondroitin sulphate.  Danaparoid, has well established antithrombotic activity. The drug has a high antifactor Xa to antifactor IIa (thrombin) activity ratio, a low tendency to cause bleeding and minimal effects on the fibrinolytic system.

Fluorescein isothiocyanate carboxymethyl dextran (FITC-CM Dextran) has been reported to provide a valuable carrier for nanoparticles of iron oxide.  These products provide a potent tool for contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging.

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC or hypromellose) is a semisynthetic, inert and viscoelastic polymer that is used as eye drops and as semi-synthetic substitute for tear-films. When applied, a hypromellose solution acts to swell and absorb water, by increasing the thickness of the tear-film, resulting in decreased eye irritation.  In addition to its use in ophthalmic liquids, hypromellose has been used as an excipient in oral tablet and capsule formulations, where, depending on the grade, it functions as controlled-release agent. It is also used as a binder and as a component of tablet coatings.  Hypromellose in aqueous solution, unlike methylcellulose, exhibits thermal gelation properties. HPMC is approved as a food additive, emulsifier, thickening and suspending agent, and as an alternative to animal gelatin (Codex Alimentarius code (E number) is E464).

Please enquire for more information about Fucoidan - Ascophyllum nodosum including the price, delivery time and more detailed product information at the technical inquiry form on this page

The sugar component consists of alternating residues of β-(1,4) linked N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid. A peptide chain of three to five amino acids is attached to the N-acetylmuramic acid. The peptide chain can be cross-linked to the peptide chain of another strand forming the 3D mesh-like layer.

Dextran sulphate is a dextran derivative whose ulcer (colitis) -causing properties were first reported in hamsters and extrapolated a few years later to mice and rats. The exact mechanisms through which dextran sulphate induces intestinal inflammation are unclear but may be the result of direct damage of the monolayer of epithelial cells in the colon, leading to the crossing of intestinal contents (for e.g. commensal bacteria and their products) into underlying tissue and therefore induction of inflammation.  The dextran sulphate sodium induced ulceration model in laboratory animals has some advantages, when compared to other animal models of colitis, due to its simplicity and similarities to human inflammatory bowel disease.

Sugar beet arabinan consists of a 1,5 α-linked arabinose backbone to which 1,3 α-linked (and possibly some 1,2 α-linked) L-arabinofuranosyl residues are attached. Approximately 60% of the main-chain arabinofuranosyl residues are substituted by single 1,3-linked arabinofuranosyl groups. The reducing terminal arabinosyl residue is attached through rhamnose to fragments of the rhamnogalacturonan backbone of the native pectin molecule.

Levan is a (2,6)-linked fructan produced by Erwinia herbicola. The polysaccharide contains branches every 10-12 fructose residues linked (1,2) and is reported to have a molecular weight in excess of 1000 KDa.  Potential industrial applications of levan have been proposed as an emulsifier, formulation aid, stabilizer and thickener, surface-finishing agent, encapsulating agent, and carrier for flavor and fragrances. In addition, levan is promising in medicine as a plasma substitute, drug activity prolongator and antihyperlipidemic agent.

1V209 (TLR7 agonist T7) is a Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist and has anti-tumor effects.

A fucan sulphate found in brown marine algae (Phaeophyta-typically Fucus serratus, Ascophyllum nodosum (illustrated), Laminaria japonica and Macrocystis pyrifyra) and has been shown to have anticoagulant activity. The main constituents are α-1,4 and α-1,2 linked L-fucose sulphates although galactose also occurs and there are many variations of the basic structure found in different species of Phaeophyta. The image was kindly provided by Prof Mike Guiry from Cork who runs ‘The Seaweed Site’.

Pectins are regarded as linear chains of α-1,4-linked D-galacturonic acid, a homogalacturonan (pectic acid). In the products of commerce, the degree of methylation has a vital influence on the properties of pectin, especially the solubility and gel forming characteristics.

Dyed and soluble azo-xyloglucan (tamarind) is used for the measurement of enzyme activity, research, biochemical enzyme assays and in vitro diagnostic analysis.  It is a soluble chromogenic substrate for the assaying of endo-cellulase.

Chitin is a polysaccharide which is found widely in nature, where it functions in a manner similar to collagen in chordates. It forms the tough fibrous exoskeletons of insects, crustaceans and other arthropods, and, in addition to its presence in some fungi, it occurs in at least one alga. The structure of chitin is similar to that of cellulose but with glucose replaced with N-acetyl-D-glucosaminyl units linked β-D-(1,4) in a linear chain. It is normally produced from the shells of lobster, crab or shrimp.

Fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran is a fluorescent derivative of a dextran fraction with an average molecular weight of approximately 4000. It is supplied as a yellow powder which is readily soluble in water.

Dextran sulphate is a dextran derivative whose ulcer (colitis) -causing properties were first reported in hamsters and extrapolated a few years later to mice and rats. The exact mechanisms through which dextran sulphate induces intestinal inflammation are unclear but may be the result of direct damage of the monolayer of epithelial cells in the colon, leading to the crossing of intestinal contents (for e.g. commensal bacteria and their products) into underlying tissue and therefore induction of inflammation.  The dextran sulphate sodium induced ulceration model in laboratory animals has some advantages, when compared to other animal models of colitis, due to its simplicity and similarities to human inflammatory bowel disease.

Dextran sulphate is a dextran derivative whose ulcer (colitis) -causing properties were first reported in hamsters and extrapolated a few years later to mice and rats. The exact mechanisms through which dextran sulphate induces intestinal inflammation are unclear but may be the result of direct damage of the monolayer of epithelial cells in the colon, leading to the crossing of intestinal contents (for e.g. commensal bacteria and their products) into underlying tissue and therefore induction of inflammation.  The dextran sulphate sodium induced ulceration model in laboratory animals has some advantages, when compared to other animal models of colitis, due to its simplicity and similarities to human inflammatory bowel disease.

Tamarind gum comes from the seed of the tamarind tree Tamarindus indica and is used in the food industry as a stabiliser and an emulsifier. It has been suggested that the structure is a main chain of cellulose with frequent branching at the O-6 positions with short side chains of one or two D-xylopyranosyl capped with D-xylopyranosyl, D-galactopyranosyl or L-arabinofuranosyl units. In application, tamarind finds use in the sizing of jute and as a stabilizer and thickener in the food industry.

Pectins are regarded as linear chains of α-1,4-linked D-galacturonic acid, a homogalacturonan (pectic acid). In the products of commerce, the degree of methylation has a vital influence on the properties of pectin, especially the solubility and gel forming characteristics. Commercial high methoxy (HM) pectin has > 70% of hydroxyl groups methyl esterified. HM pectin forms gels in the presence of sucrose and for this reason it is used in jams often in combination with other fruits.

Anterograde and retrograde tracer in neurons; biologically inert

Ulvans are structural polysaccharides present in the cell walls of green algae such as Ulva armoricana, Ulva rotondata, Ulva rigida, Ulva lacterca and Ulva pertusa.  They are highly sulphated and contain rhamnose 3-sulphate, xylose, xylose 2-sulphate, glucuronic acid and iduronic acid residues.  Ulvan has several potentially valuable functionalities such as gel formation for agricultural and food applications and possible anticoagulant, antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic and antitumor activities for pharmaceutical applications. The image was kindly provided by Prof Mike Guiry from Cork who runs ‘The Seaweed Site’.

Bacterial exopolysaccharide from gram negative Bacillus polymixa

Schizophyllan is a neutral extracellular polysaccharide produced by the fungus Schyizophyllum commune. Schizophyllan is a β-1,3 beta glucan with β-1,6 branches and a molecular weight of around 450 kDa. It is reported that this polysaccharide can stimulate the immune system, chelate metals, act as an adjuvant in delivering drugs and aid in the production of nanofibres. The image was kindly provided by Dr. Chris Lawson.

A fucan sulphate found in brown marine algae (Phaeophyta-typically Fucus serratus, Ascophyllum nodosum, Pelvitiata canaliculata (illustrated) and Macrocystis pyrifyra) and has been shown to have anticoagulant activity. The main constituents are α-1,4 and α-1,2 linked L-fucose sulphates although galactose also occurs and there are many variations of the basic structure found in different species of Phaeophyta. The image was kindly provided by Prof Mike Guiry from Cork who runs ‘The Seaweed Site’.

Larch arabinogalactan is extracted from the heartwood of the western larch Larix occidentalis. This compound has a backbone of 1,3-linked β-D-galactopyranosyl units each of which contains a side chain at position C-6. Arabinogalactans are used as emulsifiers, stabilizers and binders in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, as low viscosity dietary fibres and as a prebiotic fibres.

The sodium salt of hyaluronic acid is a glycosaminoglycan found in many organs, where it functions as a joint lubricant and shock absorber. It is obtained principally from synovial fluid, vitreous humor of the eye, umbilical tissue and cocks comb. The chemical structure of hyaluronic is a disaccharide repeat of β-(1,3) glucuronic acid and β-(1,4) N-acetyl glucosamine.

Complex glucan (a 1-6) from Leuconostoc spp.; extender in blood transfusions.