Naturally Occurring Triterpenoid Saponins

Abstract

Naturally occurring new triterpenoid saponins reported from mid-1996 to March, 2007 are reviewed including their physical constants and plant sources, and are compiled in Table 1. New saponins are arranged in Table 1 on the basis of the skeletal structures of their aglycones, e.g., oleanane type, ursane type, lupane type, hopane type, taraxastane type, cycloartane type, lanostane type, tirucallane type, dammarane type, cucurbitane type, and holostane type. The known triterpenoid saponins and prosapogenins of the new saponins, the biological and pharmacological activities of which were published during 1996-2007, are also reviewed together with their plant sources listed in Table 2 according to the skeletal structures of their aglycones in the same fashion as in Table 1. The plant and animal sources of both new and known bioactive triterpenoid saponins are collected in Table 3 in alphabetical order. The biological and pharmacological activities such as antiallergic, antiatherosclerosis and antiplatelet, antibacterial, anticomplementary, antidiabetic, contraceptive, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antileishmanial, antimalarial/antiplasmodial, anti-obesity, anti-proliferative, antipsoriatic, antispasmodic, antisweet, antiviral, cytotoxic/antitumor, detoxication, gastroprotective, haemolytic, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-enzyme, anti-osteoporotic, insecticidal, insulin-like, membrane-porosity, molluscicidal, neuropharmacological, anti-endothelial dysfunction, snake venom antidote, and sweet activities of these saponins or derived prosapogenins are discussed briefly after Table 3.

Anti-inflammatory Tirucallane Saponins from <i>Paramignya scandens</i>

“…Tirucallane saponins are relatively rare from natural sources. 25) Noteworthy, to best of our knowledge, this is the first report of 25-glycosylated and/ or O-acetylglycosylated derivatives of tirucallane triterpenoids to date.…”

Foaming Glycosides: A Review

“…Triterpenoid saponins are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and have been identified in over 500 plant species such as soybean, alfalfa, quillaja, peas, tea, spinach, sugar beet, quinoa, liquorices, sunflower, horse chestnut, ginseng, and guar (20). Steroid saponins occur predominantly in 85 species of the genera Agave, Discorea and Yucca and 56 other genera such as tomato, asparagus, ginseng, and oats.…”

Chemistry and pharmacology of saponins: special focus on cytotoxic properties

“…The biological activities of saponins range from the antibacterial, antileishmanial, antifungal, antimalarial, antiplasmodial, antiviral, to the antitumoral. 61 Most of the studies dealing with the biological effects of saponins were performed in vitro. However, the therapeutic and therefore clinical potential of saponins has to be proven in in vivo models.…”