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Peer-reviewedCC BYVaccines

Plant-Derived Saponin and Polysaccharide Vaccine Adjuvants: Structure-Activity Relationships and Immune-Enhancement Strategies.

  • Yuxin Lao1,2
  • Zhengxiang Wang2,3
  • Ying Tian2
  • Jianhua Sun2,3,4
  • Likun Gong1,2,3,4,5
5 affiliations
  1. 1School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
  2. 2Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan 528400, China.
  3. 3School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China.
  4. 4State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
  5. 5Innovation Center for AI and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmacy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
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Abstract

Plant-derived compounds, particularly saponins and polysaccharides, have attracted interest as vaccine adjuvants because of their diverse immunomodulatory activities. Increasing evidence suggests that the immunological activities of these compounds are closely associated with their structural characteristics, highlighting the importance of understanding how structural features influence their interactions with the immune system. Nevertheless, a systematic understanding of the relationships between structural features and immunological activity remains incomplete, limiting the rational development and optimization of plant-derived adjuvants. In addition, their broader development and translation are constrained by challenges such as poor stability, low bioavailability, insufficient immunostimulatory activity, and limited delivery efficiency. Against this background, this review focuses on the structure-activity relationships of plant-derived saponin and polysaccharide adjuvants, with particular emphasis on how key structural features influence the engagement of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), antigen uptake and presentation, cytokine production, and subsequent humoral and cellular immune responses. Building on these structure-activity relationships, we further discuss current strategies for improving adjuvant performance, including structural modification and derivatization, delivery-system optimization, and combination strategies. Together, these insights provide a structure-activity framework for the rational design and development of more effective next-generation plant-derived saponin and polysaccharide adjuvants.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lao2026plantderived,
  title = {{Plant-Derived Saponin and Polysaccharide Vaccine Adjuvants: Structure-Activity Relationships and Immune-Enhancement Strategies.}},
  author = {Yuxin Lao and Zhengxiang Wang and Ying Tian and Jianhua Sun and Likun Gong},
  journal = {Vaccines},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/vaccines14100890},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931419},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Plant-Derived Saponin and Polysaccharide Vaccine Adjuvants: Structure-Activity Relationships and Immune-Enhancement Strategies.
AU  - Yuxin Lao
AU  - Zhengxiang Wang
AU  - Ying Tian
AU  - Jianhua Sun
AU  - Likun Gong
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/11
JO  - Vaccines
DO  - 10.3390/vaccines14100890
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931419
AB  - Plant-derived compounds, particularly saponins and polysaccharides, have attracted interest as vaccine adjuvants because of their diverse immunomodulatory activities. Increasing evidence suggests that the immunological activities of these compounds are closely associated with their structural characteristics, highlighting the importance of understanding how structural features influence their interactions with the immune system. Nevertheless, a systematic understanding of the relationships between structural features and immunological activity remains incomplete, limiting the rational development and optimization of plant-derived adjuvants. In addition, their broader development and translation are constrained by challenges such as poor stability, low bioavailability, insufficient immunostimulatory activity, and limited delivery efficiency. Against this background, this review focuses on the structure-activity relationships of plant-derived saponin and polysaccharide adjuvants, with particular emphasis on how key structural features influence the engagement of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), antigen uptake and presentation, cytokine production, and subsequent humoral and cellular immune responses. Building on these structure-activity relationships, we further discuss current strategies for improving adjuvant performance, including structural modification and derivatization, delivery-system optimization, and combination strategies. Together, these insights provide a structure-activity framework for the rational design and development of more effective next-generation plant-derived saponin and polysaccharide adjuvants.
SN  - 2076-393X
ER  -