A comprehensive review of anticancer, immunomodulatory and health beneficial effects of the lactic acid bacteria exopolysaccharides

[Display omitted] •Introduction to lactic acid bacteria and their exopolysaccharides properties.•Health-promoting effects of lactic acid bacteria exopolysaccharides.•Underlying mechanisms of action of the lactic acid bacteria exopolysaccharides. Several scientific evidences have revealed probiotics implications on human health. A wide range of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been extensively studied for their ability to produce extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs), which are repeating units of mono/oligosaccharides with various chemical compositions and properties. Despite the conventional belief regarding probiotics that states bacteria must be alive to exert their beneficial effects, mounting evidence opened up new perspectives on health-promoting effects of bacterial-derived molecules/metabolites. Employing EPSs seems safer alternative in complicated disorders like cancer and immune related diseases. EPSs have potential applications in textiles, cosmetology, wastewater treatment, food, and pharmaceutical industries, but little is known about their function therefore the present review aims to discuss the health-promoting properties of EPSs produced by LAB. Antioxidant, antiviral, antitumor and immunomodulating activity, with focus on the mechanisms involved, are discussed in the study. Ever-growing number of researches indicate that EPSs beneficiary effects have a promising future ahead.