Action mechanisms of polysaccharides in Chinese herbal decoctions

Abstract

Water decoction is the main form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) administered in clinics. Polysaccharides are major components of decoction. Recent studies reported that polysaccharides possess multiple pharmacological activities. However, the mechanism by which oral Chinese herbal polysaccharides play vital roles in the body remains uncertain. This review discussed the polysaccharides in Chinese herbal decoctions and their effects, direct and indirect. The direct impact of polysaccharides includes being absorbed into the body immunity regulation through Peyer’s patches; electrostatic adsorption, hydrophobic interaction, and glycoprotein receptors-induced antibacterial effects; prebiotic functions; gut microbiota structural regulation; and increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria. The indirect effects of the polysaccharides in Chinese herbal decoctions include phytochemical toxicity reduction and activity enhancement. Finally, their clinical and research significance is summarized and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords

Action mechanisms / Decoctions / Gut microbiota / Polysaccharides / Traditional Chinese medicines

Conflict of interest statement

Shaoping Li is an editorial board member of this journal. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

This research was partially funded by grants from the Science and Technology Development Fund, Macau SAR (0005/2024/AKP, 0075/2022/A, and 028/2022/ITP), the Zhuhai Science and Technology Plan Project in the Social Development Field (2220004000117), and the University of Macau (MYRG-GRG2023-00082-ICMS-UMDF, MYRG-GRG2024-00150-ICMS-UMDF and CPG2025-00030-ICMS).

Author contributions

Wenfeng Xu: Investigation, visualization, writing of the original draft. Shaoping Li: Conceptualization, supervision, writing, reviewing, editing, and funding acquisition. Jing Zhao: Conceptualization, supervision, writing, reviewing, editing, and funding acquisition.

Ethical approval of studies and informed consent

Not applicable.

Acknowledgments

None.

Data availability

All relevant data are within the manuscript.

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