Cancer, as one of the most life-threatening diseases, has attracted the attention of researchers to develop drugs with minimal side effects. The bioactive macromolecules, such as the polysaccharides, are considered the potential candidates against cancer due to their anti-tumor activities and non-toxic characteristics. The present review provides an overview on polysaccharides' extraction, isolation, purification, mechanisms for their anti-tumor activities, structure-activity relationships, absorption and metabolism of polysaccharides, and the applications of polysaccharides in anti-tumor therapy. Numerous research showed extraction methods of polysaccharides had a significant influence on their activities. Additionally, the anti-tumor activities of the polysaccharides are closely related to their structure, while molecular modification and high bioavailability may enhance the anti-tumor activity. Moreover, most of the polysaccharides exerted an anti-tumor activity mainly through the cell cycle arrest, anti-angiogenesis, apoptosis, and immunomodulation mechanisms. Also, recommendations were made to utilize the polysaccharides against cancer.

In insects, chitinases participate in the periodic shedding of old exoskeletons and the turnover of peritrophic membranes. Chitinase family members h

Iron-chelating peptides have been widely considered as one of the best iron supplements to alleviate the iron deficiency. In this study, a novel oat peptides–ferrous (OP-Fe²⁺) chelate was prepared from antioxidant oat peptides obtained in the laboratory of the authors. The optimal preparation condition was obtained through the single-factor and response surface methodology, and the chelating rate could reach up to 62.6%. After chelation, the OP-Fe²⁺ chelate exhibited a significantly higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity than oat peptides. It was discovered that the hemoglobin concentration and the number of red blood cell levels in OP-Fe²⁺-treated iron-deficient anemic (IDA) rats were significantly higher than untreated IDA rats. The OP-Fe²⁺ chelate could also improve the hypertrophy of the spleen, serum iron (SI), total iron and binding capacity, and serum ferritin levels in the IDA rats. In addition, the OP-Fe²⁺ treatment significantly increased the antioxidant activities of super oxidase and glutathione in the liver homogenate of the IDA rats. Therefore, the OP-Fe²⁺ chelate is an effective type of iron supplement for IDA rats, which could be a promising source with anti-anemia and antioxidant activity.