Degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and antimicrobial resistance are becoming prominent health problems needing utmost public health attention. Curative interventions such as the use of pharmaceutical drugs and alternative plant medicines are increasingly being explored. Plant polysaccharides have gained attention for their promising bioactivities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Bioactive plant polysaccharides are also being preferred for their relatively few side effects compared to conventional pharmaceuticals. The elucidation of the bioactive potential of plant polysaccharides in disease treatment entails an understanding of the factors that determine their biofunctional properties using functional and mechanistic assays. This review summarizes the literature on the composition, structural, functional, and mechanistic determinations of the antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of plant polysaccharides. The outcome of this review highlights the leading trends in the elucidation of the antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of plant polysaccharides and underscores the promising health benefits of plant polysaccharides.
Keywords: Apoptosis induction; Cell cycle arrest; Cell membrane permeability; Plant polysaccharides; Radical scavenging activity.
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