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Carbohydrate polymers of chirata (Swertia chirata) leaves: Structural features, in vitro anti-oxidant activity and fluorescence quenching study

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Abstract

Chirata (Swertia chirata) is widely used in Indian folk medicine for the prevention of various disorders. Herein, we analyzed the water-extracted carbohydrate polymer (WECP) of this herb using chemical, chromatographic, and spectroscopic methods. The anti-oxidant capacity of this fraction was studied by ferric reducing anti-oxidant power (FRAP) and DPPH radical assays. Effect of WECP on bovine serum albumin spectrum (BSA) was determined using excitation wavelength of 282 nm. Anion exchange chromatography of WECP yielded 5 fractions (F1–F5) with different chemical compositions. The major fraction (F5) was homogeneous, had an apparent molecular mass of 4.5 kDa, and contains both carbohydrates (57%) and phenolics (34%). The anti-oxidant capacities of WECP and F5 were comparable to standard anti-oxidants. Notably, activities of the carbohydrate polymers (F1–F5) correlate with their phenolics content. Fluorescence quenching measurement suggests that F5 can form complex with BSA and the value of the binding constant is K=6.28×105/M.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Products Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan, West Bengal, 713 104, India

    Debjani Ghosh, Shruti S. Bandyopadhyay, Udipta R. Chatterjee & Bimalendu Ray

  2. Institute of Chemistry, Center for Glycomics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, SK-845 38, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Peter Capek

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  1. Debjani Ghosh
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  2. Shruti S. Bandyopadhyay
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  3. Udipta R. Chatterjee
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  4. Peter Capek
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  5. Bimalendu Ray
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Correspondence to Bimalendu Ray.

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Ghosh, D., Bandyopadhyay, S.S., Chatterjee, U.R. et al. Carbohydrate polymers of chirata (Swertia chirata) leaves: Structural features, in vitro anti-oxidant activity and fluorescence quenching study. Food Sci Biotechnol 21, 409–417 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-012-0052-y

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