Black soybean polysaccharides

Abstract

A nutraceutical composition containing 0.01-99% by weight polysaccharides enriched from an extract of beans of Glycine max (L.) Merr. Also disclosed are a method of enriching polysaccharides from pulverized beans of Glycine max (L.) Merr.; a polysaccharide having a backbone of α-(1,6)-linked glucose residues, and one or more galactose or mannose residues are bonded to the C-3 or C-4 position of one or more of the glucose residues by a (1,3)- or a (1,4)-linkage; and a method of treating a subject with such polysaccharides to increase blood cell counts.

1 . A nutraceutical composition comprising 0.01-99% by weight a polysaccharide-enriched extract prepared from beans of  Glycine max  (L.) Merr., wherein the extract contains a polysaccharide having a backbone of α-(1,6)-linked D-glucose residues.  
     
     
         2 . The nutraceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition contains 0.01-1% by weight the extract.  
     
     
         3 . The nutraceutical composition of  claim 2 , wherein the polysaccharide is associated with protein.  
     
     
         4 . The nutraceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition contains 1-99% by weight the extract.  
     
     
         5 . The nutraceutical composition of  claim 4 , wherein the polysaccharide is associated with protein.  
     
     
         6 . The nutraceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polysaccharide is associated with protein.  
     
     
         7 . The nutraceuticl composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polysaccharide has side-chains containing one or more residues of galactose, mannose, or glucose.  
     
     
         8 . The nutraceuticl composition of  claim 7 , wherein the side chains are bonded to the C-3 or C-4 position of one or more of the backbone glucose residues by a (1,3)- or a (1,4)-linkage.  
     
     
         9 . The nutraceuticl composition of  claim 8 , wherein the ratio of glucose/galactose/mannose residues is 89/5/6.  
     
     
         10 . A method of preventing or treating cancer in a subject, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a polysaccharide-enriched extract prepared from beans of  Glycine max  (L.) Merr., wherein the extract contains a polysaccharide having a backbone of α-(1,6)-linked D-glucose residues.