Tailored strategies based on polysaccharide structural and functional properties for nutrients delivery in inflammatory bowel disease

Many food nutrients suffer from a series of limitations such as poor water solubility, low stability and inadequate bioavailability. These challenges can be effectively improved by food-based delivery systems (FDSs). FDSs are a series of functional carriers developed based on food-borne macromolecules. Natural polysaccharides are widely used in FDSs due to their good bioactivity, functional properties, and biocompatibility. The complex structural and physicochemical properties of polysaccharides have led to the extremely diverse development of FDSs based on polysaccharides. This review summarizes the application of natural polysaccharides from different sources in the development of different types of FDSs and their functional properties. It also emphasizes the feasibility and theoretical strategies to tailor satisfactory properties (shape, size, surface charge and targeting properties) of polysaccharides-based oral delivery systems (PODS) based on the diverse structural characteristics (e.g., solubility, ion type, molecular weight) and bioactivities of polysaccharides. PODS are designed to meet the diverse requirements in term of stability, toxicity, adhesion, cellular uptake, retention time and release behavior. This review also discusses the advantages of PODS in addressing nutrient deficiencies in gastrointestinal environment, with a focus on their role in nutritional interventions for inflammatory bowel disease. This review contributed to the development for novel PODS with specific demand.