Abstract: Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is an abundant edible and medical resource, and the utilizable parts of lotus include leaves, roots, seeds, plumule, seed skins, flowers and seed pots, which contain many bioactive components including polysaccharides, and possess high nutritional value and many pharmacological activities. As an important component in different parts of lotus, polysaccharides have a variety of biological activities, such as antioxidatnt, anti-saccharification, hypoglycemic, immunoregulatory, antibacterial and anti-osteoporosis activities. At present, only scattered information is available on polysaccharides in different parts of lotus, so this paper reviews recent progress in research on the extraction, purification, structural features and biological activity of polysaccharides from different parts of lotus, aim at providing a reference for the comprehensive exploitation and utilization of polysaccharides in different parts of lotus to promote the application of lotus by-products.

Key words: different parts of lotus; polysaccharides; extraction and purification; structural features; biological activities