Hepatoprotective effects of polysaccharides: A review

Natural polysaccharides are an active ingredient that is easily renewed with biocompatibility and high biodegradability. The role of polysaccharide is very important for understanding in the field of potential bio-composites, nanoconjugates and the pharmaceutical sector. This review article discusses information about the hepatoprotective effect of polysaccharides on liver damage due to exposure to harmful components that originate from the outside. Polysaccharides had various abilities in their physiological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, and antiproliferative, which could be very helpful in treating liver damage. Polysaccharides were also considered to be in the superior category compared to other polymers, due to their compatibility, activity and biological homogeneity. Antioxidant activity derived from polysaccharides could reduce free radicals caused by the metabolism of hepatotoxins so that it could reduce the levels of liver damage caused by high levels of free radicals. This review also confirms the existence of research conducted using plants and fungi, especially regarding the attributes of hepatoprotective activities in the components of polysaccharides found in plants and mushroom.