A review of the polysaccharides against fatigue and the underlying mechanism

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.