Polysaccharides is a class of important biological macromolecular material, which played significant role in antioxidation, anti-aging, anti-cancer, and improvement of body immunity. The recent research shows that molecular modification of polysaccharides can not only effectively improve the polysaccharides bioactivity, but also expand its functional activity. The chemical modification methods of polysaccharides such as sulfation, phosphorylation, acylation and enzyme, and their influences on polysaccharides biological activities were introduced, including antioxidation, anti-cancer, antiviral and immunity enhancing. The existing problems as well as development direction prospect were also discussed. This would provide support for their wide use in food, pharmaceuticals and other fields. |