Fruits of Lycium barbarum L., have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries. In the last decade, there has been much interest in the potential health benefits of many biologically constituents of these fruits. The high level of carotenoids offers protection against development of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and related comorbidities.
In the last decades, glycoconjugates from Lycium barbarum L. fruit (Goji berry) have received a great attention for their potential health-promoting effects. The present review includes a survey of extraction and purification methods of these bioactive molecules (L. barbarum polysaccharides, LBPs), along with a dissertation on the structural characterisation of the carbohydrate component. Furthermore, an overview of in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies concerning the hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic effects of isolated LBP fractions, is reported.
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