[Comparison of Echinops species on the basis of the monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides].

The goal of our investigation was to compare the monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides of different Echinops species. The determination of monosaccharid composition was made after Taylor reduction, acidic hydrolysis, reduction with sodium borohydride and acetylation in pyridine/aceticanhydride as alditol-acetates with gas chromatographic analysis. 4-O-methyl-glucuronic acid was found in all studied species. The best similarity was found in the case of the monosaccharide composition of E. ruthenicus and E. exaltatus where rhamnose and arabinose are the main monosaccharides and 4-O-methyl-glucuronic acid is the uronic acid component. The main monosaccharides are glucose in E. orientalis and glucose and mannose in E. commutatus. Glucuronic acid is the uronic acid component in both species.