A comparison of bioactive aqueous extracts and polysaccharide fractions from roots of wild and cultivated Cochlospermum tinctorium A. Rich.

In Malian traditional medicine the roots of Cochlospermum tinctorium are used in the treatment of gastric ulcer, but extending harvesting is causing a growing concern of a dramatic reduction in the wild plant population. In the present study cultivation of C. tinctorium is evaluated, and structural components and bioactive properties of crude water extracts and isolated polysaccharide fractions from roots of wild and cultivated C. tinctorium are compared. The crude water extracts were shown to contain starch, pectin- and inulin-type polysaccharides, in addition to phenolic substances and protein, while the isolated acidic polysaccharide fractions contained mainly monosaccharides typical for pectins. The monosaccharide compositions of the polysaccharide fractions from roots of wild versus cultivated plants were comparable, albeit the yields in the cultivated roots were lower. Furthermore, the crude extracts and isolated polysaccharide fractions from wild and cultivated roots exhibited similar complement fixating activities, but were not able to activate macrophages. The crude extracts from cultivated roots were also shown to be moderate radical scavengers. The present study has shown that roots of cultivated C. tinctorium contain the same types of bioactive polysaccharides as the wild roots. However, in order to utilize roots of cultivated C. tinctorium in traditional medicine the cultivation method should be improved.