Advanced synthesis of polyphenol-polysaccharide copolymers: Molecular design, grafting technologies, and future...

Polyphenols and polysaccharides, despite their significant biological activities, often suffer from limited solubility and bioavailability. The artificial conjugation of these biomolecules has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance their physicochemical and functional properties, thereby broadening their applicability in drug delivery systems, controlled release platforms, and intelligent food preservation technologies. This review provides an integrated perspective on the mechanistic insights of advanced grafting techniques, particularly plasma and electrochemical methods, while critically examining the scalability challenges associated with the industrial synthesis of polyphenol-polysaccharide copolymers (PPCs). Various preparation strategies are compared to elucidate the interaction mechanisms between polyphenol-polysaccharide, aiming to inspire innovative research directions in this field. Furthermore, recent applications and analytical methods for PPCs are also discussed. Future research should prioritize environmentally friendly synthesis approaches and leverage computational modeling to enhance grafting efficiency, and facilitate transition of PPCs production to an industrial-scale.