ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Water-Extractable Polysaccharide Complex of Rudbeckia fulgida, var. sullivantii (Boynton et Beadle) Possesses Antitussive Activity

A. Kardošová, D. Košťálová, P. Capek, V. Pätoprstý, and S. Fraňová

Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-842 38 Bratislava

Abstract: Water extraction of the methanol-pretreated aerial parts of the medicinal plant. Rudbeckia fulgida, var. sullivantii (Boynton et Beadle) afforded a polysaccharide complex, the carbohydrate moiety of which consisted of D-Gal (34%), D-Glc (32%), D-Man (2%), L-Ara (11%), D-Xyl (6%), and L-Rha (15%). Successive employment of ion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography of the complex afforded one homogeneous component which was proved to be a low-molecular (1→6)-α-D-glucan. The other two fractions were heterogeneous by HPGPC and differed in mole representation of the sugar components and linkages. The polysaccharide complex was tested for antitussive activity on mechanically induced cough in nonanaesthetized cats. It was found that the complex significantly reduced the number of cough efforts in the irritated laryngopharyngeal and tracheobronchial mucous membranes of the airways without a negative influence on expectoration. Its cough-suppressing activity (46.5%) was higher than that of the comparative drugs used in clinical practice, i.e. of dropropizine (28.4%) and prenoxdiazine (24.8%).

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 511a52.pdf

Chemical Papers 51 (1) 52–59 (1997)