Functional reinterpretation and emerging directions of food‑medicine homologous polysaccharides (IMAGE)
Caption
Schematic illustration of the functional evolution and future directions of food‑medicine homologous polysaccharides. The upper panel presents four dimensions of functional reinterpretation: promotion of antigen presentation through dendritic cell maturation; regulation of immune networks and microenvironments involving macrophages, natural killer cells and regulatory T cells; modulation of the gut microbiota–immune axis via microbial fermentation and metabolite production; and integration into multifunctional immunological materials that combine bioactivity with delivery functions. The lower panel outlines four emerging directions: a shift from activity evaluation towards function‑oriented design; a transition from natural extraction towards precision molecular engineering using chemical, enzymatic or chemoenzymatic synthesis; a move from empirical development towards precision application guided by disease‑associated immune states; and a reconceptualization from bioactive constituents towards functional immunological materials that serve simultaneously as therapeutic agents and structural platforms. The figure collectively illustrates the central thesis that FMH polysaccharides should be understood as structurally programmable biological materials rather than as simple active principles.
Credit
Food & Medicine Homology, Tsinghua University Press
Usage Restrictions
News organizations may use or redistribute this image, with proper attribution, as part of news coverage of this paper only.
License
Original content