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Regioselective modification is an effective approach to synthesize polysaccharides with different structure features and improved properties. In this study, regioselective sulfation of Artemisia sphaerocephala polysaccharide (SRSASP) was prepared by using triphenylchloromethane (TrCl) as protecting precursor. The decrease in fractal dimension (df) values (1.56-2.04) of SRSASP was observed in size-exclusion chromatography combined with multi angle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS) analysis. Compared to sample substituted at C-6, SRSASP showed a more expanded conformation of random coil, which was attributed to the breakup of hydrogen bonds and elastic contributions. Circular dichroism (CD), methylene blue (MB) and congo red (CR) spectrophotometric method and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results confirmed the conformational transition and stiffness of the chains after sulfation. SRSASP exhibited enhanced antioxidant activities in the DPPH, superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. Sulfation at C-2 or C-3 was favorable for the chelation which might prevent the generation of hydroxyl radicals. It concluded that the degree of substitution and substitution position were the factors influencing biological activities of sulfated polysaccharides., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Phosphorylated derivatives of galactomannan from guar gum (GG) with the degree of substitution (DS) of 0.35-0.52 were synthesized using POCl3/pyridine. FT-IR, (13)C NMR and XPS results revealed that phosphorylation had occurred and C-6 substitution was predominant in phosphorylated guar gum (PGG). PGG showed an increase in Mw and more broad molar mass distribution in size exclusion chromatography (SEC) analysis. Higher reaction temperature (above 60 °C) resulted in a higher MW value in PGG. It might be due to the cross-linking of polysaccharide chains by POCl3 via di-ester which was also supported by monosaccharide composition result. Results of M(W) - (S(2))(z)(1/2) showed a decrease in fractal dimension (df) values. DS had greater influence on its conformation in aqueous solution. The introduction of -PO3H2 groups improved significantly the stiffness of the chains due to the electrostatic effect. Furthermore, antioxidant experiments revealed that high DS could enhance the scavenging activities of radicals of PGG in vitro., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)