ISOLATION, PURIFICATION AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF POLYSACCHARIDE FRACTIONS FROM APIUM GRAVEOLENS’ L. BOTANICAL FORMS

The study of natural polysaccharides is an important area of research due to their pharmacological effects, including antiviral activity and the ability to regulate metabolic disorders. In addition, these polymeric structures realize several properties (sorption, shaping, transport (and delivery systems), which increases the interest of scientists in their isolation and analysis. This study aims to comparatively investigate the polysaccharide fractions in different botanical forms of celery odouriferous. The objectives of the study include the isolation of polysaccharide fractions, their purification by the Sevag method, estimation of monomeric composition of the fractions after acid hydrolysis by the HPTLC method, and determination of structural characteristics of the molecules by IR spectroscopy. Alcohol-soluble polysaccharides (ASPS), water-soluble polysaccharides (WSPS), and pectin substances (PS) were isolated from leaf, petiole, and root botanical forms of celery. After purification, the obtained substances were amorphous powders of light brown or light beige colour and odourless. The root botanical form of celery showed the highest yield of the target compounds (total (13.54±1.07)% after purification), while the petiole form (total (5.51±0.04)% after purification) showed the lowest yield. The monomeric composition of pectins and WSPS showed a predominance of galactose and arabinose, whereas the alcoholic ones showed a predominance of fructose and glucose. The interpretation of IR spectra showed the presence of absorption bands characteristic of free and bound carboxyl groups, C-O-C valence vibrations, α-configuration of the glycosidic bond, and C1-α-conformation of galacturonic acid in different polysaccharide fractions, which allows us to draw some conclusions regarding the structure of the substances. A comparative study of polysaccharide fractions of different botanical forms of odorous celery was carried out for the first time. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to single out WSPS and PS of celery root crops as the most promising phytosubstances for further development of products of functional, specialized nutrition and potential medicines on their basis. The methods of analysis used in the study can be proposed as part of the regulatory documentation for the control of these products.