The Barrier-Enhancing Function of Soluble Yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.) Polysaccharides in Rat Intestinal Epithelial Cells, as Affected by the Covalent Se Conjugation

Prospects of yam (Dioscorea) polysaccharides: Structural features, bioactivities and applications

Yam (Dioscorea) is a tuber crop cultivated for food security, revenue, and medicinal purposes. It has been used to treat diabetes, asthma, diarrhea, and other diseases. The main active ingredients in yam, polysaccharides, are regarded to be the important reason for its widespread applications. Now, a comprehensive review of research developments of yam polysaccharides (YPs) was presented to explore their prospects. We outlined the structural characteristics, biological activities, structure-activity relationships, and potential applications. Around 13 neutral components and 17 acidic components were separated. They exhibited various bioactivities, including immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, gastrointestinal protective, anti-fatigue, and senile disease treatment activities, as well as prebiotic effect. Structure-activity relationships illustrated that unique structural properties, chemical modifications, and carried biopolymers could influence the bioactivities of YPs. The potential applications in medicine, food, and other fields have also been summarized.

Research progress on the structure, derivatives, pharmacological activity, and drug carrier capacity of Chinese yam polysaccharides: A review

Chinese yam is a traditional Chinese medicine that has a long history of medicinal and edible usage in China and is widely utilised in food, medicine, animal husbandry, and other industries. Chinese yam polysaccharides (CYPs) are among the main active components of Chinese yam. In recent decades, CYPs have received considerable attention because of their remarkable biological activities, such as immunomodulatory, antitumour, hypoglycaemic, hypolipidaemic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and bacteriostatic effects. The structure and chemical alterations of polysaccharides are the main factors affecting their biological activities. CYPs are potential drug carriers owing to their excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility. There is a considerable amount of research on CYPs; however, a systematic summary is lacking. This review summarises the structural characteristics, derivative synthesis, biological activities, and their usage as drug carriers, providing a basis for future research, development, and application of CYPs.

Recent progress in plant-derived polysaccharides with prebiotic potential for intestinal health by targeting gut microbiota: a review

Natural products of plant origin are of high interest and widely used, especially in the food industry, due to their low toxicity and wide range of bioactive properties. Compared to other plant components, the safety of polysaccharides has been generally recognized. As dietary fibers, plant-derived polysaccharides are mostly degraded in the intestine by polysaccharide-degrading enzymes secreted by gut microbiota, and have potential prebiotic activity in both non-disease and disease states, which should not be overlooked, especially in terms of their involvement in the treatment of intestinal diseases and the promotion of intestinal health. This review elucidates the regulatory effects of plant-derived polysaccharides on gut microbiota and summarizes the mechanisms involved in targeting gut microbiota for the treatment of intestinal diseases. Further, the structure-activity relationships between different structural types of plant-derived polysaccharides and the occurrence of their prebiotic activity are further explored. Finally, the practical applications of plant-derived polysaccharides in food production and food packaging are summarized and discussed, providing important references for expanding the application of plant-derived polysaccharides in the food industry or developing functional dietary supplements.