Research Progress on Extraction, Isolation, Structural Analysis and Biological Activity of Polysaccharides from Panax Genus

Abstract

The panax genus is a widely used medicinal plant with good biological activity. As one of the main active components of the Panax genus, polysaccharides have various pharmacological effects. This review summarizes the latest research reports on ginseng, American ginseng, and Panax notoginseng polysaccharides and compares the differences in extraction, isolation and purification, structural characteristics, and biological activities. The current research mainly focuses on ginseng polysaccharides, and the process of extraction, isolation, and structure analysis of each polysaccharide is roughly the same. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that these polysaccharides have antioxidants, antitumor, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, intestinal protection, skin repair, and other biological activities. This review provides new insights into the differences between the three kinds of ginseng polysaccharides which will help to further study the medicinal value of ginseng in traditional Chinese medicine.

Extraction, Purification, Structural Characteristics, Health Benefits, and Application of the Polysaccharides from Lonicera japonica Thunb.: A Review

“…Different L. japonica polysaccharides have different structures and biological properties [ 62 ]. Table 2 summarizes the available studies on L. japonica polysaccharides, including the name of the compound, molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, structure, and relevant references.…”

Structural Modification and Biological Activity of Polysaccharides

“…Polysaccharides are generally insoluble in water, have no sweet taste, cannot form crystals, and have no reduction or mutarotation. At present, polysaccharide extraction methods include hot water extraction, acid extraction, alkali extraction and enzyme extraction [ 4 ]. A large number of studies have shown that polysaccsharides have anti-oxidation [ 5 ], anti-tumor [ 6 ], anti-coagulation [ 7 ], anti-cancer [ 8 ], hypoglycemic [ 9 ] and immunomodulatory activities [ 10 ].…”