Study of arabinogalactan supramolecular structure using synchrotron radiation SAXS and terahertz laser ablation methods

Arabinogalactan, a water-soluble natural polysaccharide, has potent innate immuno-modulatory and anti-cancer activity and can serve as a carrier material in targeted drug delivery. The molecular weight and supramolecular structure of the polymer are very important for its pharmacological and technological applications. In this work, we used synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering as an instrument to study the supramolecular structure of arabinogalactan in aqueous solutions. The formation of polymer associates was confirmed also by means of the terahertz laser ablation and atomic force microscopy studies. SAXS experiments were made at accelerators complex VEPP-3/VEPP-4. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.