Isolation and Structural Features of Two Glucans from the Rhizomes of Crinum latifolium

Two water-soluble glucans (A and B) were isolated from the rhizomes of Crinum latifolium. The final preparations were each homogeneous as determined by glass-fiber electrophoresis, gel chromatography, and thin-layer chromatography. Glucan A was composed of 12 glucose units, while glucan B had about 110 glucose residues. Methylation, periodate oxidation, nuclear magnetic resonance, and enzymic degradation studies showed that both glucans are mainly composed of α-1→4 linked D-glucopyranose residues having branches linked through position 6. Glucan A had one side chain composed of a hexasaccharide. The average length of the unit chain in glucan B was about 11,and glucan B had various polymerized side chains. O-Acetyl groups were identified in glucan A, and they were located at positions 2 and 3 of a glucose unit.