Bioactive Polysaccharides offers a comprehensive review of the structures and bioactivities of bioactive polysaccharides isolated from traditional herbs, fungi, and seaweeds. It describes and discusses specific topics based on the authors' rich experience, including extraction technologies, practical techniques required for purification and fractionation, strategies and skills for elucidating the fine structures, in-vitro and in-vivo protocols, and methodologies for evaluating the specific bioactivities, including immune-modulating activities, anti-cancer activities, anti-oxidant activities, and others. This unique book also discusses partial structure-functionality (bioactivities) relationships based on conformational studies. This comprehensive work can be used as a handbook to explore potential applications in foods, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceutical areas for commercial interests. - Serves as a comprehensive review on extraction technologies, and as a practical guide for the purification and fractionation of bioactive polysaccharides - Brings step-by-step strategies for elucidating the fine structures and molecular characterizations of bioactive polysaccharides - Includes detailed experimental design and methodologies for investigation bioactivities using both in-vitro and in-vivo protocols - Clarifies how to extract, purify, and fractionate bioactive polysaccharides, also exploring health benefits - Useful as a guide to explore the commercial potentials of bioactive polysaccharides as pharmaceuticals, medicine, and functional foods

Dr. Shaoping Nie is a professor at State Key laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University of China. Dr. Nie's research interests are focused on the structure, conformation and bioactivities of bioactive polysaccharides and dietary fibre and the relationship of their structure and bioactivities, also, Dr. Nie worked on developing functional products by using bioactive polysaccharides and dietary fibre from natural products and agricultural products. Dr. Nie' expertise includes extraction, purification of bioactive polysaccharides, and elucidation of polysaccharides structures, confirmation and functional properties by using methylation analysis, NMR, SEM, TEM, MS, light scattering, rheology and molecular simulation techniques, also includes evaluation of bioactivities (immunomodulatory effects, anti-tumor, antidiabetic, antioxidative effects and beneficial effects on intestinal health) of polysaccharides and dietary fibre by using cell cultures and, animal models, and characterization of their signalling pathways and possible molecular mechanisms by using molecular biology techniques.

Bioactive Polysaccharides offers a comprehensive review of the structures and bioactivities of bioactive polysaccharides isolated from traditional herbs, fungi, and seaweeds. It describes and discusses specific topics based on the authors' rich experience, including extraction technologies, practical techniques required for purification and fractionation, strategies and skills for elucidating the fine structures, in-vitro and in-vivo protocols, and methodologies for evaluating the specific bioactivities, including immune-modulating activities, anti-cancer activities, anti-oxidant activities, and others.

This unique book also discusses partial structure-functionality (bioactivities) relationships based on conformational studies. This comprehensive work can be used as a handbook to explore potential applications in foods, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceutical areas for commercial interests.

• Serves as a comprehensive review on extraction technologies, and as a practical guide for the purification and fractionation of bioactive polysaccharides
• Brings step-by-step strategies for elucidating the fine structures and molecular characterizations of bioactive polysaccharides
• Includes detailed experimental design and methodologies for investigation bioactivities using both in-vitro and in-vivo protocols
• Clarifies how to extract, purify, and fractionate bioactive polysaccharides, also exploring health benefits
• Useful as a guide to explore the commercial potentials of bioactive polysaccharides as pharmaceuticals, medicine, and functional foods

1. Introduction 2. Methodologies for studying bioactive polysaccharides 3. Beta-Glucans from Fungi 4. Curdlan and derivatives 5. Dendronan from Dendrobium officinale and Aloe 6. Complex Glucomannan from Ganoderma atrum 7. Cordyceps Polysaccharides 8. Tea Polysaccharides 9. Psyllium Polysaccharides 10. Other Herbal Polysaccharides