Advances in Research on Hypoglycemic Functions of Polysaccharides from Medicinal and Edible Plants.

Plant polysaccharides have an excellent hypoglycemic effect through various ways such as promoting insulin secretion, improving insulin resistance, regulating related enzyme activities, improving sugar, protein and fat metabolism, promoting hepatic glycogen synthesis, inhibiting gluconeogenesis, and improving immune system function and resistance. At present, more than 200 polysaccharides derived from traditional Chinese medicines have been reported, and most of them are isolated and purified from plants. With the deepening of research on plant polysaccharides, more and more attention has been paid to the development of safe and economical natural hypoglycemic products. This paper first introduced the hypoglycemic effects of Folium Mori polysaccharides, Cucurbita moschata polysaccharides, Momordica charantia polysaccharides, Dioscoreae Rhizoma polysaccharides and Camellia sinensis O.Kuntze polysaccharides. Besides, it discussed the utilization ways of hypoglycemic plant polysaccharides, and the prospects of applying polysaccharide hypoglycemic effect to diabetes treatment, so as to provide reference for the research and utilization of plant polysaccharide hypoglycemic effects and the development of natural hypoglycemic foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]