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Structural Elucidation, Modification, and Structure-Activity Relationship of Polysaccharides in Chinese Herbs: A Review

Summary

This comprehensive review explains how the structure of plant polysaccharides from Chinese herbs determines their healing properties. The authors discuss various laboratory methods to identify polysaccharide structures and explain how chemical modifications can enhance their beneficial effects like boosting immunity and fighting tumors. The review provides guidance for researchers developing new polysaccharide-based medicines and shows that finding the right molecular size and chemical composition is key to maximizing therapeutic benefits.

Background

Chinese herbal polysaccharides (CHPs) are natural polymers composed of monosaccharides widely found in Chinese herbs and serve as important active ingredients. Their biological activities depend on complex chemical structures with diverse spatial conformations. However, structural elucidation remains a bottleneck problem since most CHPs are heteropolysaccharides with more complex structures.

Objective

This review summarizes the structure-activity relationship of CHPs and reviews structural elucidation strategies with emphasis on advanced structural analysis methods. The study aims to provide reference for selecting efficient methods, developing new hyphenated techniques, and discussing structural modification methods and their effects on activity.

Results

The review identifies key structure-activity relationships including molecular weight optimization (5-400 kDa optimal range), monosaccharide composition effects, glycosidic bond types (β-configuration generally showing higher activity), branching degree correlation with activity, and chain conformation importance (triple-helix structures showing strong anti-tumor activity). Chemical modifications including sulfation, phosphorylation, carboxymethylation, and acetylation enhance bioactivities.

Conclusion

Structural elucidation and modification are crucial for developing CHP-based drugs and advancing their clinical applications. Advanced analytical methods combining multiple detection techniques provide comprehensive structural information. Further research on three-dimensional structures and structure-activity relationships will promote development and utilization of CHPs.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Nutrition,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 35669078, DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.908175
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