Research progress on the regulatory and pharmacological mechanism of chemical components of Dendrobium

Dendrobium is a precious Chinese herbal medicine, which belongs to the genus Orchidaceae. Ancient records and modern pharmacological research show that Dendrobium has pharmacological effects such as anti-tumor, antioxidant regulating immunity and blood glucose, and anti-aging. Dendrobium contains polysaccharides, alkaloids, bibenzyl, sesquiterpenes, phenanthrene, polyphenols and other types of chemicals. Its pharmacological activity is closely related to these chemical components. For example, dendrobium extracts can achieve anti-tumor effects by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and metastasis, promoting cell apoptosis and ferroptosis, or increasing cell sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs. It enhances immunity by regulating immune cell activity or cytokine release. In addition, it can alleviate neurodegenerative diseases by protecting nerve cells from apoptotic damage. In recent years, research reports on biologically active compounds in Dendrobium have shown a blowout growth, which makes us realize that it is meaningful to continuously update the research progress on the components and pharmacological regulatory mechanism of this traditional Chinese medicine. By classifying the collected chemical components according to different chemical structures and summarizing their pharmacological mechanisms, we investigated the current research progress of Dendrobium and provide a more comprehensive scientific foundation for the further development and clinical transformation of Dendrobium in the future.