Extraction, purification, structural characterization, biological activities, applications, and research prospects of...

Cornus officinalis (C. officinalis) is an important plant resource with a long history and a wide range of uses in medicine and food. Polysaccharides are one of the main active components of C. officinalis. Because of its unique and significant anti-tumor, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and many other biological activities, it has received extensive attention from researchers, and its study has become more and more in-depth. Although the phytochemical and bioactive aspects of C. officinalis polysaccharides (COPs) have been extensively studied, a systematic and comprehensive summary of these polysaccharides has not yet been compiled. This lack of summary hinders their full utilization and development. This paper reviews the extraction, purification, structural features, and biological activities, as well as applications of COPs. It also discusses the potential development and future research directions of COPs in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical fields. This paper may provide direction and a theoretical basis for the development of COPs as novel functional foods.