Acemannan, an extracted polysaccharide from Aloe vera: A literature review

Nat Prod Commun. 2014 Aug;9(8):1217-21.

Abstract

In this review, the composition, actions, and clinical applications of acemannan in medicine and its effectiveness as an adjunct in the treatment of diseases are presented. An electronic literature search was performed up to January 2014 for studies and research presenting data to validate the efficacy of acemannan. A total of 50 titles, abstracts and full-text studies were selected and reviewed. Acemannan has various medicinal properties like osteogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial, which accelerate healing of lesions. Also, acemannan is known to have antiviral and antitumor activities in vivo through activation of immune responses. It was concluded that Aloe vera has immense potential as a therapeutic agent. Even though the plant is a promising herb with various clinical applications in medicine and dentistry, more clinical research needs to be undertaken to validate and explain the action of acemannan in healing, so that it can be established in the field of medicine and a more precise understanding of the biological activities of these is required to develop Aloe vera as a pharmaceutical source.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aloe / chemistry*
  • Animals
  • Anti-Infective Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Mannans / chemistry
  • Mannans / pharmacology*
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Mannans
  • Plant Extracts
  • acemannan