Comprehensive review of Bletilla striata polysaccharides: from fundamental studies to innovative biomaterials

Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Rchb.f. is a perennial medicinal orchid with a well-documented history in traditional Chinese medicine spanning millennia. Clinically employed for treating mucosal injuries, ulcers, trauma, and burns, this botanical exhibits diverse pharmacological properties attributed to its rich composition of bioactive compounds. Among these constituents, Bletilla striata polysaccharides have emerged as the primary pharmacologically active components, demonstrating remarkable anti-inflammatory activity, wound healing, hemostatic activity, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity. When compounded with macromolecular components to create emerging hydrogels, sponges, microneedles, eye drops and films, the resulting materials surpass traditional products in mechanical performance, biocompatibility and biodegradability, offering an ideal platform for wound management, tissue repair and regenerative medicine. Future clinical translation of BSPs will be advanced by optimizing scalable production and systematically evaluating the clinical safety of its biomaterials. In this paper, the research progress of extraction and purification, chemical structure characterization, biological activity of BSPs and new BSP-based composite biomaterials that harness the biological activity of BSP in recent years were reviewed. This paper will promote the understanding of BSP and provide a theoretical basis for the development of new biological materials.