Research progress in methods of acquisition, structure elucidation and quality control of Chinese herbal polysaccharides

With a long history of clinical effectiveness, the therapeutic value of traditional Chinese medicine has been widely recognized. However, the active substances behind every prescription are not completely clear yet. As a major component of water decoction, which is the most frequent preparation for Chinese medicinal, polysaccharides may be a key point for us to deeply understand the efficacy principles of Chinese medicine and establish a system for the modern development of Chinese medicine. Deterred by their structural complexity and diversity, Chinese herbal polysaccharides are more difficult to be separated and analyzed than small molecules. Aiming at exploring the potential of Chinese herbal polysaccharides in an efficient way, in this paper, the advancement of the polysaccharide chemical research in recent years is briefly summarized in terms of the methods of acquisition, structure elucidation and quality control.