Abstract: Chondroitin sulfate ( CS) is an acidic polysaccharide and widely applied in the industries of medicine, cosmetics and food for its biological activities. The methods of chondroitin sulfate extraction, purification and separation were briefly reviewed. The content determination, structure validation, functional research and recent application of chondroitin sulfate were described.Moreover, the development prospects was also forecasted, which would lay a foundation for further study on chondroitin sulfate.