Research Progresses of Plant Polysaccharides with α-Glucosidase Inhibition activities

Diabetes has become one of the major diseases threatening human health, and has become the main economic burden of the public health system. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are the first choice for the treatment of type II diabetes. However, the widely used AGI in clinical practice often has varying degrees of side effects. Plant polysaccharide is a kind of active substance that widely exists in plants and has great potential to alleviate diabetes. Screening of plant polysaccharides with hypoglycemic effects has attracted much attention due to efficient health care ability and good biocompatibility. This article focused on plant polysaccharides with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, systematically elaborated on the hypoglycemic effect of plant polysaccharides, and provided a detailed review on the effects of extraction and purification methods on the physicochemical properties of plant polysaccharides and the activity of α-glucosidase inhibitors, as well as the researches on improving the AGI inhibitory abilities of plant polysaccharides through modification. This article aims to provide reference for the research and development of novel plant-based α-glucosidase inhibitors.