Bioactive exopolysaccharides from the cultured cells of tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum var. San Marzano

Three exopolysaccharides, EPS( 1), EPS( 2), and EPS( 3), were isolated from suspension-cultured cells of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum, var. San Marzano). The partial primary structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. EPS( 2) was a heteropolysaccharide with a tetrasaccharide repeating unit constituted by sugars having one residue in alpha-manno, one residue in beta-manno, and two different residues in beta-gluco/galacto configurations. EPS(3) was a heteropolysaccharide with a pentasaccharide repeating unit with sugars having three residues in alpha-manno, one residue in alpha-gluco/galacto, and one residue in beta-gluco/galacto configurations. The anticytotoxic activities of exopolysaccharides were tested in a brine shrimp bioassay.