Purification and Monosaccharide Composition of Polysaccharides Isolated from Cannabis sativa Cherry Hemp Root

Abstract

Traditional medicine has used plants to reduce inflammation, tumors, and in some cases the effects of radiation. While these plants tended to be effective, the reason behind their medicinal properties was unknown. There has now been extensive research on polysaccharides in many plants regarding their immunomodulatory effects. Hemp has been shown to have many bioactive properties including anti-anxiety, anti-nausea, antiarthritic, anti-psychotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. While there has been much research done on the cannabinoids of hemp, there has been no previous research on the polysaccharides. This project focuses on extracting the polysaccharides of hemp roots and determining their monosaccharide composition. The cherry hemp root polysaccharides were extracted using ethanol and water. The crude extract was then purified by anion-exchange chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. The pure polysaccharides were hydrolyzed, and the resulting monosaccharides were derivatized with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) for HPLC analysis and Trimethylsilyl (TMS) for GC-MS analysis. This data will be used to help predict bioactivity, as certain polysaccharide structures have been shown to be immunostimulatory.