The regulate function of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides that with sulfate group on immune-related disease

Abstract

• Sulfate carbohydrate include polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, which have immunomodulatory effects. • Carbohydrate with sulfate groups can be divided into endogenous and exogenous, according to the different sources, have different ways of action. • Sulfate polysaccharides and oligosaccharides have great potential in medicine and health food industry. Sulfate polysaccharide is a kind of polyanionic linear macromolecular compound which contained sulfate groups. In vivo, most of them combine with proteins to form proteoglycans. The oligosaccharides obtained by degradation from polysaccharides would have different biological activities. Sulfate polysaccharides and oligosaccharides have immunomodulatory activity, which can be involved in activating immune cell recognition, controlling immune cell activity and reducing the side effects caused by inflammatory reactions. Polysaccharides treated with sulfate can act on multiple targets of the immune systems, affecting the occurrence and development of diseases and even cancer. In this article, polysaccharide and oligosaccharide containing sulfate groups were classified as endogenous and exogenous, and sulfated derivatives. And their biological activities in immune regulation were reviewed. Polysaccharides and oligosaccharides or the derivatives after sulfuric acid modification would have relatively unique biological activities due to the negative charge of the sulfate group and the change of their solubility.