Ginseng polysaccharides: Potential antitumor agents

As a famous herbal medicine in China and Asia, ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) is also known as the "King of All Herbs" and has long been used in medicine and healthcare. In addition to the obvious biological activities of ginsenosides, ginseng polysaccharides (GPs) exhibit excellent antitumor, antioxi-dant stress, and immunomodulatory effects. In particular, GPs can exert an antitumor effect and is a potential immunomodulator. However, due to the complexity and diversity in the structures and com-ponents of GPs, their specific physicochemical properties, and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this article, we have summarized the factors influencing the antitumor activity of GPs and their mech-anism of action, including the stimulation of the immune system, regulation of the gut microbiota, and direct action on tumor cells (c) 2022 The Korean Society of Ginseng. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).