Comparative studies on structural feature of agar polysaccharides fromPorphyra haitanensis grown in south and north China

Abstract

The structural feature of agar polysaccharides fromPorphyra haitanensis grown in south China and transplanted to the north was investigated by fractionation on DEAE—Sephadex A 50, chemical analysis, and infrared and13C-NMR spectroscopy. The agars composed mainly of charged molecules were eluted from DEAE—Sephadex A 50 with 1.0 mol/L NaCl solution from the southernP. haitanensis and with 0.5 mol/L NaCl from the northern one. The13C-NMR spectra showed that agarobiose [(1→3)-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-3,6-anhydro-α-L-galactopyranose] and the biological precursor of agarobiose [(1→3)-β-D-galactopyra nosyl-(1→4)-6-sulfate-α-L-galactopyranose] were the major disaccharide repeating units in the charged fractions. The content of the biological precursor in the agar polysaccharides from southernP. haitanensis was higher than that in the northern one, the content of the biological precursor extracted from cold water was higher than that from hot water, and the content of 6-OMe-D-galactose in the southernP. haitanensis polysaccharides was higher than in the northern one. This distinct difference will be of significance for further study of the physiological characters ofP. haitanensis.