Comprehensive review on Cistanche polysaccharides: Structure, gut microbiota and processing characteristics

Cistanche deserticolaY.C.Ma and Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) Wight are Cistanche Hoffmg. Et Link medicinal plants with a long traditional medicine history. Polysaccharides, the primary bioactive components, exhibit diverse pharmacological effects. Recently, research on the interaction between herbal polysaccharides and the gut microbiota has gained significant attention. Cistanche polysaccharides modulate the intestinal microbiome, and processing techniques significantly affect the content, structure, and function of these polysaccharides. Systematic reviews on structural characterization, bioactivities, gut microbiota interactions, and processing effects of Cistanche polysaccharides remain scarce. This review examines Cistanche polysaccharide research advances, including extraction, structural characterization, bioactivities and quality control. It emphasizes the link between bioactivities and gut microbiota, and how processing techniques influence them. Key findings show Cistanche polysaccharides have multiple bioactivities, including regulating gut microbiota and intestinal barrier. By modulating gut microbiota and metabolites, they confer health benefits such as relieving constipation and treating alcoholic fatty liver. Processing techniques alter their properties via physical-chemical changes, affecting herbal quality. Integration with advanced disciplines expands their biomedical applications. This review provides insights for deepening Cistanche polysaccharide research, improving herbal quality, promoting standardized production, and facilitating their development.