AUTHOR=Luo Lei , Xue Juan , Shao Zheng , Zhou Zhang , Tang Wenqian , Liu Jinxin , Hu Hongfei , Yang Fan TITLE=Recent developments in Salvia miltiorrhiza polysaccharides: Isolation, purification, structural characteristics and biological activities JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1139201 DOI=10.3389/fphar.2023.1139201 ISSN=1663-9812 ABSTRACT=In recent years, natural polysaccharides have attracted more and more attention and research because of their value in the medicine, beauty and food fields. Salvia miltiorrhiza is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with a history of thousands of years and has antidiabetic, antifibrotic, neuroprotective, antioxidation, anti-inflammatory and other effects. It mainly includes rosmarinic acid, tanshinone I, tanshinone IIA, tanshinone IIB, procatechualdehyde, polysaccharide and salvianolic acids. Salvia miltiorrhiza polysaccharides (SMP) is a polysaccharide extracted and isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza and has diverse pharmacological effects, such as antioxidation, anti-tumor, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, immune regulatory and cardioprotective effect. In this paper, the research progress of SMP was reviewed from the aspects of extraction, purification, structural characterization and biological activity. We hope to provide a reference for the further development and utilization of SMP.