Extraction, purification, structural characteristics and biological properties of the polysaccharides from Rubus L: A review

Rubus L. is widely distributed throughout the world as a medicinal and food plant with rich values. There is increasing evidence that Rubus L. polysaccharides are important and representative active macromolecules with abundant in vitro and in vivo bioactivities, such as: antioxidant, immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-fatigue and so on. Despite significant advancements in research, a comprehensive and systematic review of Rubus L. polysaccharides has been absent. In this paper, we innovatively provide an in-depth overview of the extraction and purification methods, structural characterization, biological activities, possible molecular mechanisms, toxicity and applications of Rubus L. polysaccharides for the first time. In addition, the existing literature was quantitatively analyzed by bibliometrics. The paper also focuses on the challenges and future perspectives of the existing studies with a view to providing new insights and directions for the future development of Rubus L. polysaccharides.