Aspects of the invention provide methods for treatment of a disease associated with elevated iNOS including autoimmune, chronic inflammatory, neurodegenerative, or cardiovascular diseases. In particular, aspects of the invention relate to the use of a therapeutic formulation comprising a galacto-rhamnogalacturonate for the treatment of a disease associated with elevated iNOS including autoimmune, chronic inflammatory, neurodegenerative, or cardiovascular diseases.

A process for the isolation of modified polysaccharide product from potato, in particular a polysaccharide product that can be used as an immunomodulatory is described. More particularly, the extraction and modification of a rhamnogalacturonan I(RG-1) fragment product from a potato using a defined process, and the use of this product to provide immunomodulatory activity to a subject.

Aspects of the invention provide compositions for use in the treatment galectin-dependent diseases. In particular, compositions comprising a selectively depolymerized, branched galactoarabino-rhamnogalacturonate whose backbone is predominantly comprised of 1,4-linked galacturonic acid (GalA) moieties, with a lesser backbone composition of alternating 1,4-linked GalA and 1,2-linked rhamnose (Rha), which in-turn is linked to any number of side chains, including predominantly 1,4-b-D-galactose (Gal) and 1,5--L-arabinose (Ara) residues.

Aspects of the invention provide compositions for use in the treatment galectin-dependent diseases. In particular, compositions comprising a selectively depolymerized, branched galactoarabino-rhamnogalacturonate whose backbone is predominantly comprised of 1,4-linked galacturonic acid (GalA) moieties, with a lesser backbone composition of alternating 1,4-linked GalA and 1,2-linked rhamnose (Rha), which in-turn is linked to any number of side chains, including predominantly 1,4-b-D-galactose (Gal) and 1,5-a-L-arabinose (Ara) residues.