何首乌是一种具有悠久的临床应用历史的中国传统草药和食品，被用于改善健康状况和治疗各种疾病。何首乌多糖（HPS）、黄酮、皂苷和生物碱是何首乌的主要成分。HPS是何首乌最重要的天然活性成分，具有许多药理效应。目前，HPS在肿瘤、糖尿病、心血管疾病、阿尔茨海默病和纤维化等各种疾病的药物开发中表现出显著的潜力。本综述论文讨论了HPS的提取、分离和含量测定技术，以及其化学成分的研究。更重要的是，我们审查了HPS的抗炎药理作用，如抑制炎症因子和NF-κB信号通路；通过诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡、阻断肿瘤细胞增殖和转移的方式展示其抗肿瘤活性；抗氧化作用；调节多种细胞因子和免疫细胞；调节血糖水平，如对I型和II型糖尿病及糖尿病并发症的改善；改善阿尔茨海默病症状；具有抗衰老和抗纤维化特性；改善脑缺血再灌注损伤。本综述论文为未来对HPS的结构、机制和临床用途的研究奠定了理论基础。版权所有 © 2023 Gao、Ren、Li、Zhao、Liu、Zhuang、Lv、Zhi、Jiang、Chen、Zhao和Li.

Hedysarum, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and food with a long history of clinical application, is used to improve health conditions and treat various diseases. Hedysarum polysaccharides (HPS), flavonoids, saponins, and alkaloids, are the primary components of Hedysarum. HPS is the most important natural active ingredient of Hedysarum, which has many pharmacological effects. Currently, HPS exhibits significant promise in drug development for various ailments such as tumors, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, and fibrosis. This review paper discusses the extraction, separation, and content determination techniques of HPS, along with the investigation of its chemical constituents. More importantly, we reviewed the anti-inflammatory pharmacological effects of HPS, such as inhibition of inflammatory factors and NF-κB signaling pathway; antitumor activity through apoptosis induction in tumor cells and blocking tumor cell proliferation and metastasis; antioxidant effects; regulation of various cytokines and immune cells; regulation of blood sugar levels, such as in type I and type II diabetes and in diabetic complications; improvement in symptoms of Alzheimer disease; anti-aging and anti-fibrosis properties; and improvement in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. This review paper establishes the theoretical foundation for future studies on the structure, mechanism, and clinical use of HPS.Copyright © 2023 Gao, Ren, Li, Zhao, Liu, Zhuang, Lv, Zhi, Jiang, Chen, Zhao and Li.