Comprehensive research on berry polysaccharides: Extraction, structure, mechanism, structure-activity relationship and application from traditional insight to intelligent prediction.

BACKGROUND: As natural bioactive macromolecules isolated from various berries, Berry polysaccharides (BPs) possess excellent biocompatibility, low toxicity and diverse health-promoting properties, which has garnered extensive interest in functional food and pharmaceutical research. Nevertheless, imperfect large-scale manufacturing processes, ambiguous structure-activity relationship (SAR) and limited metabolic research substantially impede their industrial transformation and practical application. PURPOSE: This review systematically summarizes recent research advances on BPs, clarifies their preparation technologies, multifunctional bioactivities, molecular mechanisms, SAR rules, pharmacokinetic profiles and safety assessment, and highlights the cutting-edge technologies, so as to offer theoretical support for subsequent development and utilization of BPs. STUDY DESIGN: This comprehensive review was conducted to integrate and critically appraise the latest research progress on BPs, covering innovative preparation technologies, biological function exploration, structural-activity correlation analysis, pharmacokinetic profiles and cutting-edge interdisciplinary translational applications. METHODS: Peer-reviewed literatures focusing on the extraction and purification, bioactivity evaluation, molecular mechanistic exploration, SAR analysis, pharmacokinetics and toxicological assessment of BPs were rigorously retrieved, screened and summarized for synthetic discussion. RESULTS: Novel eco-friendly extraction techniques, including ultrasonic-, microwave-, enzyme-assisted extraction and membrane separation are progressively replacing traditional extraction strategies. Berry polysaccharides display diverse bioactivities such as anti-inflammation, immunomodulation, hypoglycemia, hypolipidemia, neuroprotection and gut microbiota regulation via NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, MAPK, Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathways and short-chain fatty acid metabolism. Meanwhile, SAR studies identify the molecular weight, glycosidic linkage, branching patterns and spatial conformation as critical factors dominating their bioactivity and bioavailability. BPs exhibit low oral bioavailability but favorable safety profiles, relying primarily on intestinal microbiota metabolism. Notably, artificial intelligence, multi-omics and nanotechnology greatly accelerate the comprehensive research on BPs. CONCLUSION: This review systematically summarizes current research progress and application prospects of berry polysaccharides (BPs). It deepens the understanding of their structure-function correlations and molecular mechanisms, offering valuable references for the rational development and translational application of BPs in functional foods, pharmaceuticals and health-benificial products.