A mini review of polysaccharides from Zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim: Their extraction, purification, structural characteristics, bioactivity and potential applications.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (Z. bungeanum), commonly known as Sichuan pepper or Chinese prickly ash, is a deciduous shrub in the Rutaceae family, with a lengthy history of use as a food ingredient and traditional medicine in China. Z. bungeanum polysaccharides (ZBPs) represent one of the crucial bioactive components of Z. bungeanum, garnering global attention due to their potential medicinal value, culinary significance, and promising application prospects. The principal methods for extracting ZBPs are hot water extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction and microbial fermentation extraction. However, the structural characteristics of ZBPs remain ambiguous, necessitating further exploration and elucidation of the structure-activity relationship using the advanced analytical techniques. In addition, ZBPs demonstrate diverse bioactivities, including antioxidant activity, neuroprotective effect, antibacterial activity, and the anti-fatigue effect, positioning them as promising candidates for various therapeutic and health-promoting applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, bioactivities, and potential applications of ZBPs, emphasizing the significant promise of ZBPs as valuable natural compounds with a range of bioactivities, supporting their further exploitation and application in various fields of industries and therapeutics.