Preparation, structural analysis, antitumor mechanism and research in drug delivery systems of natural plant polysaccharides: a review

Natural plant polysaccharides are a class of highly active polymer compounds with various physiological activities, especially anti-tumor, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic effects. With the development of new technologies, the extraction of plant polysaccharides has become increasingly efficient, convenient, and environmentally friendly, not only improving the purity of natural plant polysaccharides, but also reducing resource waste. Plant polysaccharides also have advantages such as low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility, which can be used to develop innovative plant polysaccharide drug delivery systems (DDS) to enhance synergistic anti-tumor efficacy, improve polysaccharide bioavailability, enhance drug targeting and release efficiency. In addition, this research provides a detailed overview of how natural plant polysaccharides directly or indirectly regulate signaling pathways, enhance cell apoptosis, inhibit tumor cell growth and invasion, and improve the tumor microenvironment to hinder tumor development. However, natural plant polysaccharides face the challenge of how to translate related anti-cancer agents or targeted formulations into clinical practice, which requires more practical and theoretical basis. Overall, the purpose of this article is to comprehensively understand plant polysaccharides and provide reference for further research and development of natural polysaccharide based targeted anti-tumor drugs.