Isolation of Polysaccharides from Curcuma Longa and its Interaction with Bovine Serum Albumin

Abstract

In traditional medicine most of the diseases have been treated by the administration of a plant or plant product. Curcuma longa Linn. (Zingiberaceae), is a useful traditional medicinal plant in India. There are several data in the literature indicating a great variety of pharmacological activities of C.longa which exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-human immunodeficiency virus, anti-bacteria, antioxidant effects and nematocidal activities. It is now considered as a valuable source of unique natural products for development of medicines against various diseases and also for the development of industrial products. Our aim is to develop new potent drug candidate. For this we studied the interaction of the polysaccharide with BSA (bovine serum albumin). To study the interaction with polysaccharides and BSA present, I have isolated polysaccharides from depigmented plant materials of C. longa by extraction with cold water. The cold water extraction yielded 3.9% of a carbohydrate-rich material, referred to as WE. Ultraviolet spectrometric analysis revealed that this water-extracted polymer (WE) interacts significantly with bovine serum albumin (BSA), indicating a potential for protein-binding activity and suggesting its possible application in biopolymer-protein interaction studies.