Abstract: Five water-soluble polysaccharides, CPA, CPB, CPC, CPDand CPE,were isolated and purified from the pollen of Codonopsis Pilosula. Their purity was identified by gel-filtration and electrophoresis. The average molecular weights were estimated by gel-filtration. Hydrolysis, methylation, periodate oxidation and Smith degradation methods were used in the structural studies of CPA. The absolute configurations of the monosaccharides of CPAwere identified by measuring the optical rotation of the mixture of the monosaccharides. IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMRand ¹H, ¹³Ccoupled NMRspectra of CPAwere analysed. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation of CPAshowed a clear secondary structural picture. Some information was attained about the structural feature through analysing the micrograph of CPA.

Key words: Codonopsis Pilosula, Pollen, Polysaccharides, Electron microscopy