Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo polysaccharides as potential prebiotics: gut microbiota regulation, health effects, and application prospects

Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo, a member of the Orchidaceae family, is highly valued for its unique nutritional and medicinal properties. Among its bioactive components, polysaccharides are the most prominent, exhibiting a range of health-promoting effects, including hypoglycemic, gastrointestinal protective, and immunomodulatory activities in preclinical studies. These effects are closely linked to the ability of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOPs) to modulate gut microbiota by altering the abundance, composition, and balance of microbial communities, thereby highlighting their considerable potential as prebiotic candidates. Despite growing interest in DOPs, their prebiotic potential and underlying mechanisms remain largely underexplored, limiting their application in the development of functional foods and pharmaceuticals. In addition to summarizing the latest advances in the structural features of DOPs and gut microbiota-mediated health effects, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of their digestive behavior, structure-activity relationships (SARs), prebiotic mechanisms, and application-related challenges and opportunities. Finally, key challenges in both experimental research and clinical translation are identified, and future directions to bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and practical utilization are proposed. Collectively, this review lays a solid foundation for the rational development and industrial application of DOPs as novel prebiotic agents.