Isolation, structural properties, bioactivities of polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale Kimura et. Migo: A review

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale) is used as herbal medicine and new food resource in China, which is nontoxic and harmless, and can be used as common food. Polysaccharide as one of the main bioactive components in D. officinale, mainly composed of glucose and mannose (Manp: Glcp = 2.01:1.00-8.82:1.00), along with galactose, xylose, arabinose, and rhamnose in different molar ratios and types of glycosidic bonds. Polysaccharides of D. officinale exhibit a variety of biological effects, including immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, gastro-protective, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and vasodilating effects. This paper presents the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, bioactivities, structure-activity relationships and analyzes gaps in the current research on D. officinale polysaccharides. In addition, based on in vitro and in vivo experiments, the possible mechanisms of bioactivities of D. officinale polysaccharides were summarized. We hope that this work may provide helpful references and promising directions for further study and development of D. officinale polysaccharides.