Sulfation Modification of Polysaccharides and Their Antidiabetic Activity.

Polysaccharides derived from natural sources exhibit significant antidiabetic activity, yet the application of some polysaccharides is limited by their poor solubility, low stability, and limited bioavailability. Sulfation has emerged as an effective strategy to enhance these properties by introducing sulfate groups onto polysaccharide structures. Numerous studies have described and assessed the biological properties of sulfated polysaccharides and their associations, highlighting their significant potential for antidiabetic activity. This review systematically summarizes the methods of sulfation modification and evaluates their advantages and disadvantages. The influence of sulfation on crucial physicochemical characteristics such as solubility, thermal stability, and viscosity is analyzed, along with changes in monosaccharide compositi, molecular weight, glycosidic linkages, and chain conformation. Sulfated polysaccharides demonstrate significantly improved antidiabetic effects through various mechanisms, including inhibition of digestive enzymes, modulation of gut microbiota leading to regulation of short-chain fatty acids and glucagon-like peptide-1, activation of insulin signaling and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathways, suppression of inflammatory responses, and systemic metabolic alterations involving branched-chain amino acids, bile acids, and lipid profiles. Overall, sulfation modification technology holds great potential for enhancing the antidiabetic properties of polysaccharides.