Research progress on the anti-aging effects and mechanisms of polysaccharides from Chinese herbal medicine

With the intensification of population aging, the topic of how to delay aging has garnered increasing attention in scientific circles. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) boasts a long history of applications in delaying aging. Polysaccharides, a class of chemical substances with diverse biological activities derived from CHM, have recently attracted considerable interest for their potential anti-aging effects. While numerous studies have indicated that the anti-aging properties of polysaccharides from CHM are primarily attributed to their antioxidant activity, other mechanisms and effects remain to be systematically elucidated. This review aims to summarize the existing literature, providing a comprehensive overview that spans from the specific introduction of food and medicine homology (FMH) polysaccharides in CHM, to the analysis of the anti-aging mechanisms of polysaccharides derived from CHM, and further to the exploration of their activity in delaying aging and the underlying structure-activity relationships. It is elucidated that polysaccharides exhibit optimal anti-aging activity only within an appropriate molecular weight (Mw) range, and the anti-aging activities vary with different monosaccharide compositions and types of glycosidic bonds. Additionally, commonly utilized aging animal models in current research are also discussed. Overall, this review offers valuable insights into the anti-aging effects of polysaccharides from CHM and the corresponding regulatory mechanisms.