Polysaccharides are one of the most important and widely used bioactive components of natural products, which can be used to treat metabolic diseases. Natural polysaccharides (NPs) have been the subject of much study and research in the field of treating obesity in recent years. Studies in the past have demonstrated that mitochondria are important for the initiation, progression, and management of obesity. Additionally, NPs have the ability to improve mitochondrial dysfunction via a variety of mechanisms. This review summarized the relationship between the structure of NPs and their anti-obesity activity, focusing on the anti-obesity effects of these compounds at the mitochondrial level. We discussed the association between the structure and anti-obesity action of NPs, including molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, glycosidic linkage, conformation and extraction methods. Furthermore, NPs can demonstrate a range of functions in adipose tissue, including but not limited to improving the mitochondrial oxidative respiratory chain, inhibiting oxidative stress, and maintaining mitochondrial mass homeostasis. The purpose of this work is to acquire a thorough understanding of the function that mitochondria play in the anti-obesity effects of NPs and to offer fresh insights for the investigation of how NPs prevent obesity and the creation of natural anti-obesity medications.

Renal injury, a prevalent clinical outcome with multifactorial etiology, imposes a substantial burden on society. Currently, there remains a lack of effective management and treatments. Extensive research has emphasized the diverse biological effects of natural polysaccharides, which exhibit promising potential for mitigating renal damage. This review commences with the pathogenesis of four common renal diseases and the shared mechanisms underlying renal injury. The renoprotective roles of polysaccharides in vivo and in vitro are summarized in the following five aspects: anti-oxidative stress effects, anti-apoptotic effects, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-fibrotic effects, and gut modulatory effects. Furthermore, we explore the structure-activity relationship and bioavailability of polysaccharides in relation to renal injury, as well as investigate their utility as biomaterials for alleviating renal injury. The clinical experiments of polysaccharides applied to patients with chronic kidney disease are also reviewed. Broadly, this review provides a comprehensive perspective on the research direction of natural polysaccharides in the context of renal injury, with the primary aim to serve as a reference for the clinical development of polysaccharides as pharmaceuticals and prebiotics for the treatment of kidney diseases.

There has been a sudden increase in viral diseases, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), causing significant harm to human and animal well-being, as well as economic development. Medicinal herbs, with a history of thousands of years in clinical use, contain versatile polysaccharides as one of their primary compounds. This review offers an overview of the antiviral effects of polysaccharides from medicinal herbs on viruses in humans, poultry, swine and aquaculture in recent years. The mechanism of these antiviral polysaccharides, involved in hindering various stages of the viral life cycle thereby blocking virus infection, is summarized. The review also explores other underlying mechanisms of antiviral effects, such as enhancing the immune response, regulating inflammatory reactions, balancing gut flora, reducing oxidative stress, and suppressing apoptosis through various corresponding signaling pathways. The structure-function relationships discussed in this article also aid in understanding the antiviral mechanism of natural polysaccharides, indicating the need for more in-depth research and analysis. Natural polysaccharides from medicinal herbs have emerged as valuable resources in the fight against viral infections, exhibiting high effectiveness. This review emphasizes the promising role of polysaccharides from medicinal herbs as potential candidates for blocking viral infections in humans and animals.

Fatigue is a common physiological state that affects normal human activities. Prolonged fatigue induces a variety of diseases and seriously affects human health, so it is imperative to discover nutritional dietary supplements and treatments without side effects, among which natural anti-fatigue polysaccharides have shown great potential. Polysaccharides, a class of biomolecules produced by a variety of organisms such as plants, animals, bacteria and algae, have attracted much attention in recent years due to their anti-fatigue activity and fewer side effects. This review summarizes the classification, dosage and experimental models of polysaccharides with anti-fatigue activity obtained from different natural sources. We also review the fatigue-relieving effects of these polysaccharides through mechanisms such as modulating oxidative damage, regulating energy metabolism and influencing intestinal flora, as well as the effects of molecular weights, monosaccharide compositions, structural features and chemical modifications of the polysaccharides on their anti-fatigue activities to support their potential application value in functional foods and pharmaceuticals. New valuable insights for future research on natural polysaccharides are also presented in the field of natural production of bio-based functional materials, functional foods and therapeutic agents.

The gastrointestinal tract is an important part of the human immune system. The gut microbiome, which constitutes a major component of the gastrointestinal tract, plays a crucial role in maintaining normal physiological functions and influences the development, diagnosis, and immunotherapy of colorectal cancer (CRC). Natural polysaccharides can be extracted from animals, plants, and traditional Chinese medicines. They serve as an essential energy source for the gut microbiome, promoting probiotic proliferation and regulating the intestinal microecological balance. Moreover, polysaccharides exhibit anti-tumor effects due to their immune regulatory functions and low toxicity. This review focuses on discussing these anti-tumor effects in CRC, along with improving gut microbiome dysbiosis and regulating the tumor immune microenvironment, providing evidence for effective therapeutic strategies against CRC.

Natural biopolymers become increasingly attractive as bio-based alternatives to petrol-based rheological modifiers, especially in personal care applications. However, many polysaccharides exhibit undesired properties in cosmetic applications such as limited viscosifying characteristics, unpleasant sensory properties, or incompatibility with certain formulation compounds. Here, a comprehensive rheological analysis of non-decorated acetan-like heteroexopolysaccharides derived from two Kozakia baliensis strains was performed in selected surfactant formulations. The results were compared to native xanthan gum and a genetically engineered xanthan variant, Xan∆gumFGL, which lacks any acetyl- and pyruvyl moieties and whose rheological properties are unaffected by saline environments. All four polysaccharides displayed a highly similar rheological performance in the non-ionic surfactant lauryl glucoside, while the rheological properties differed in amphoteric and anionic surfactants cocamidopropyl betaine and sodium laureth sulfate due to minor changes in side chain composition. Polysaccharide precipitation was observed in the presence of the cationic surfactant. Nevertheless, the native heteroexopolysaccharide derived from K. baliensis LMG 27018 shows significant potential as a salt-independent rheological modifier compared to the genetically engineered Xan∆gumFGL variant. In addition, blends of heteroexopolysaccharides from K. baliensis and several galactomannans displayed synergistic effects which were comparable to native xanthan gum-galactomannan blends. This study shows that heteroexopolysaccharides of K. baliensis are capable of further extending the portfolio of bio-based rheological modifiers.

Removal of contaminants from discharge water is vital and demands urgent assistance with the goal to keep clean water. Adsorption is one of the most common, efficient, and low-priced methods used in water treatment. Various polysaccharide-based gels have been used as efficient dye adsorbents from wastewater. This review summarizes cutting-edge research of the last decade of different hydrogels based on natural polysaccharides (chitin, chitosan, cellulose, starch, pullulan, and dextran) concerning their dye adsorption efficiency. Beyond their natural abundance, attributes of polysaccharides such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low cost make them not only efficient, but also environmentally sustainable candidates for water purification. The synthesis and dye removal performance together with the effect of diverse factors on gels retaining ability, kinetic, and isotherm models encountered in adsorption studies, are introduced. Thermodynamic parameters, sorbent recycling capacity along with conclusions and future prospects are also presented.

Cancer multidrug resistance (MDR) dramatically hindered the efficiency of standard chemotherapy. Mitochondria are highly involved in the occurrence and development of MDR; thus, inducing its malfunction will be an appealing strategy to treat MDR tumors. In this paper, a natural polysaccharides-based nanoplatform (TDTD@UA/HA micelles) with cell and mitochondria dual-targeting ability was facilely fabricated to co-deliver ursolic acid (UA) and doxorubicin (DOX) for combinatorial MDR therapy. TDTD@UA/HA micelles featured a spherical morphology, narrow size distribution (∼140 nm), as well as favorable drug co-loading capacity (DOX: 8.41 %, UA: 9.06 %). After hyaluronic acid (HA)-mediated endocytosis, the lysosomal hyaluronidase promoted the degradation of HA layer and then the positive triphenylphosphine groups were exposed, which significantly enhanced the mitochondria-accumulation of nano micelles. Subsequently, DOX and UA were specifically released into mitochondria under the trigger of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS), followed by severe mitochondrial destruction through generating ROS, exhausting mitochondrial membrane potential, and blocking energy supply, etc.; ultimately contributing to the susceptibility restoration of MCF-7/ADR cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Importantly, TDTD@UA/HA micelles performed potent anticancer efficacy without distinct toxicity on the MDR tumor-bearing nude mice model. Overall, the versatile nanomedicine represented a new therapeutic paradigm and held great promise in overcoming MDR-related cancer.

The increasing demand for gold because of its high market price and its wide use in the electronic industry has attracted interest in gold recovery from electronic waste (e-waste). Gold is being dumped as solid e-waste which contains gold concentrations ten times higher than gold ores. Adsorption is a widely used approach for extracting gold from e-waste due to its simplicity, low cost, high efficiency, and reusability of adsorbent material. Natural polysaccharides received increased attention due to their natural abundance, multi-functionality, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. In this review, a brief history, and advancements in this technology were evaluated with recent developments in the preparation and mechanism advancements of natural polysaccharides for efficient gold recovery. Moreover, we have discussed some bifunctional modified polysaccharides with detailed gold adsorption mechanisms. The modified adsorbent materials developed from polysaccharides coupled with inorganic/organic functional groups would demonstrate an efficient technology for the development of new bio-based materials for efficient gold recovery from e-waste. Also, future views are recommended for highlighting the direction to achieve fast and effective gold recovery from e-waste in a friendly and sustainable manner.

Complete and rapid healing of infected skin wounds remains a challenge in current clinical treatment. In this study, we prepared a self-healing injectable CK hydrogel by crosslinking two natural polysaccharides, carboxymethyl chitosan and oxidized konjac glucomannan, based on the Schiff base bond. To enhance the biological function of the hydrogel, we multi-functionalized hydrogen by loading it with berberine (BBR) and stem cell-derived exosomes (Exo), forming a composite hydrogel, CK@BBR&Exo, which could be injected directly into the wound through a needle and adhered to the wound. Furthermore, the self-healing properties of CK@BBR&Exo increased its usefulness and service life. Additionally, the drug-loaded CK@BBR&Exo hydrogel was versatile, inhibiting bacterial growth, regulating the inflammatory response, and promoting neovascularization in infected skin wounds, thus achieving the rapid healing of infected skin wounds. These results suggest that the CK@BBR&Exo-injectable self-healing hydrogel is an ideal dressing for treating infected skin wounds.