Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey ex Lu et Z. Y. Zhang is a unique economic and medicinal plant of Cucurbitaceae in Southern China. For hundreds of years, Chinese people have used the fruit of S. grosvenorii as an excellent natural sweetener and traditional medicine for lung congestion, sore throat, and constipation. It is one of the first species in China to be classified as a medicinal food homology, which has received considerable attention as a natural product with high development potential. Various natural products, such as triterpenoids, flavonoids, amino acids, and lignans, have been released from this plant by previous phytochemical studies. Phar- macological research of the fruits of S. grosvenorii has attracted extensive attention, and an increasing number of extracts and compounds have been demonstrated to have antitussive, expectorant, antiasthmatic, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, immunologic, hepatoprotective, antibacte- rial, and other activities. In this review, based on a large number of previous studies, we summarized the related research progress of the chemical components and pharmacological effects of S. grosvenorii, which provides theoretical support for further investigation of its biological functions and potential clinical applications.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The genus Polygonatum Tourn, ex Mill. contains numerous chemical components, such as steroidal saponins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkaloids, and others, it possesses diverse pharmacological activities, such as anti-aging, anti-tumor, immunological regulation, as well as blood glucose management and fat reducing properties. Aim of the review: This study reviews the current state of research on the systematic categorization, chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and processing changes of the plants belonging to the genus Polygonatum, to provide a theoretical foundation for their scientific development and rational application. Materials and methods: The information was obtained by searching the scientific literature published between 1977 and 2022 on online databases (including PubMed, CNKI, SciFinder, and Web of Science) and other sources (such as the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition, and Chinese herbal books). Results: The genus Polygonatum contains 79 species, and 233 bioactive chemical compounds were identified in them. The abundance of pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant activities, anti-fatigue activities, anti-inflammatory activities, etc., were revealed for the representatives of this genus. In addition, there are numerous processing methods, and many chemical constituents and pharmacological activities change after the unappropriated processing. Conclusions: This review summarizes the taxonomy classification, chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and processing of the plants belonging to the genus Polygonatum, providing references and research tendencies for plant-based drug development and further clinical applications.

A neutral Polygonatum cyrtonema polysaccharide (NPCP) was isolated and purified from Polygonatum cyrtonema by various chromatographic techniques, including DEAE-52 and Sephadex-G100 chromatography. The structure of NPCP was characterized by HPLC, HPGPC, GC-MS, FT-IR, NMR, and SEM. Results showed that NPCP is composed of glucose (55.4%) and galactose (44.6%) with a molecular weight of 3.2 kDa, and the sugar chain of NPCP was →1)-α-D-Glc-(4→1)-β-D-Gal-(3→. In vitro bioactivity experiments demonstrated that NPCP significantly enhanced macrophages proliferation and phagocytosis while inhibiting the M1 polarization induced by LPS as well as the M2 polarization induced by IL-4 and IL-13 in macrophages. Additionally, NPCP suppressed the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α in both M1 and M2 cells but promoted the secretion of IL-10. These results suggest that NPCP could serve as an immunomodulatory agent with potential applications in anti-inflammatory therapy.

Polysaccharides are one of the main active components of Polygonatum hunanense (PHP). This study extracted polysaccharides from the roots of PHP using water extraction and ethanol precipitation methods. Additionally, PHP was isolated and purified through various techniques, particularly through Diethylaminoethyl-52 (DEAE-52) cellulose and Sephadex G-100 chromatography columns. Structural analysis revealed that PHP is composed of 94.9 % fructose and 5.1 % glucose, with a molecular weight of 6.01 kDa. Moreover, the main chain of PHP residues linkage was found to be β-D-Fruf-(2 → 6)-D-Glcp-(1 → 2)-β-D-Fruf-(6,1 → 2)-β-D-Fruf-(1 → 2)-β-D-Fruf. Branch chain analysis revealed the presence of →2)-β-D-Fruf-(1, 6 → 2)-β-D-Fruf-(1 → 2)-β-D-Fruf. Subsequently, PHP was chemically modified, yielding acetylated polysaccharides (Ac-PHP) and sulfated polysaccharides (Su-PHP). The identification results from Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra indicated the successful derivatization of the polysaccharides. In vitro bioactivity experiments demonstrated that PHP, Ac-PHP, and Su-PHP can induce cell apoptosis and affect the cell cycle, leading to cytotoxicity toward tumor cells. Compared to PHP, Ac-PHP and Su-PHP exhibited enhanced effects in all groups. These results suggest that PHP might be a promising candidate and supplement for cancer treatment, while the acetylated and sulfated PHP polysaccharides may enhance their antitumor activity by altering their structures.

Polygonatum hunanense H.H. Liu & B.Z. Wang (syn. P. kingianum var. grandifolium), is a perennial Liliaceae species with ethnopharmaceutical and nutraceutical value. It exhibits traditional medicinal properties such as qi-tonifying, yin-nourishing, kidney-benefiting, and antioxidant activities. P. hunanense maintains evergreen foliage year-round and shows significantly higher biomass accumulation than congener taxa. These traits are linked to phytohormone regulation, as indicated by previous studies. The absence of validated reference genes in P. hunanense has hindered molecular-level investigations in this species to date. In this study, 11 candidate reference genes (GAPDH, H2A, EF-1α, ACT, TUA, UBC, RPL, PP2A, 18S, TUB, and UBQ) were identified from the P. hunanense transcriptome dataset. Expression profiles of these genes were analyzed by qRT-PCR across three experimental conditions: different tissues, hormone treatments, and abiotic stresses. Gene expression stability was analyzed using GeNorm, NormFinder, Delta Cᴛ, BestKeeper, and RefFinder software. The stability of candidate reference genes was validated through expression analysis of target genes (KO, KAM, GA13-ox, GA44-dio, ALDH7A1, IPM) involved in phytohormone metabolic pathways. Overall, the stability of the 11 candidate reference genes varied among different P. hunanense samples. EF-1α, 18S and ACT were identified as the most stable in tissue samples. EF-1α, H2A and PP2A showed the highest stability under hormone treatments, and 18S, UBC, and EF-1α exhibited consistent stability in abiotic stresses. This study establishes EF-1α as the optimal pan-experimental reference gene for qRT-PCR normalization in P. hunanense, demonstrating consistent expression stability across diverse tissues, hormone treatments, and abiotic stresses, thereby providing a significant reference for future gene expression studies.