• Saponins are
a group of secondary metabolites found widely distributed in the plant kingdom
• They
form
a stable foam in aqueous solutions such as
soap,
hence the name “saponin”.
• Chemically,
saponins as a group
include compounds
that
are glycosylated
steroids, triterpenoids,
and steroid alkaloids.
• Two main
types
of
steroid aglycones
are
known, spirostan and furostan
derivatives (Figure
8A,B, respectively).
• The
main
triterpene aglycone
is a derivative
of
oleanane
(Figure
8C). The carbohydrate
part
consists of one or
more
sugar moieties containing glucose, galactose,
xylose, arabinose, rhamnose,
or glucuronic
acid
glycosidically
linked to a sapogenin
(aglycone).
• Saponins that
have one sugar
molecule
attached at the C-3 position are called
monodesmoside
saponins, and
those that have a
minimum of two sugars, one attached to the C-3 and
one at C-22, are
called bidesmoside
saponins
Activity of Saponins
• The
physiological role of saponins in
plants is not yet
fully
understood. While there is a number of a publication describing
their identification in plants, and
their multiple effects in animal cells and on fungi and bacteria, only a few have addressed
their
function in plant cells. Many saponins are known to be
antimicrobial,
to inhibit mould, and
to protect plants from insect attack.
• Saponins may
be considered a part of plants’ defence systems, and as such have been included in a
large group of protective molecules found in plants named phytoanticipins
or phytoprotectants. Saponin
mixtures present in plants
and
plant products possess diverse biological effects when present in the animal body.
Extensive research has been carried out into the membrane-permeabilising,
immunostimulant,
hypocholesterolaemic
and
anticarcinogenic
properties
of saponins and
they have also
been found to significantly affect growth, feed intake and reproduction in
animals.
• These
structurally diverse compounds have also been observed to kill protozoans and molluscs, to be antioxidants, to
impair the digestion of protein and the uptake of vitamins and minerals in
the gut, to
cause hypoglycaemia, and
to act
as antifungal
and
antiviral
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