Saponins biological effects

Their unique structure and surface activity not only appears largely responsible for their beneficial biological effects but also for the long-held belief that saponins are toxic. Some saponins are strongly hemolytic and are... 

Among their diverse biological activities, saponins possess effective hypocholesterolemic action (Price et al., 1992). Saponin-cholesterol interaction is an important part of the hypocholesterolemic action of alfalfa but interactions of bile acids with other components of alfalfa might be equally important. Alfalfa plant and sprout saponin have been found to be effective in binding significant amounts of cholesterol (Wang and Ng, 1999). 

Nowadays saponins have been studied because different beneficial properties to health have been described. Saponins possess a broad variety of biological effects analgesic, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, and cytotoxic activity, effect on the absorption of minerals and vitamins and on animal growth, hemolytic and immunosti-mulatory effects, increased permeability of the intestinal mucosa neuro-protective action, and reduction of fat absorption (Gu lii-Ustundag and Mazza, 2007). However, the biological properties of quinoa saponins require further study. 

The variation of secondary metabolites produced by plants is enormous and differs greatly with the stages of growth and development (1-5). Of these natural products, saponins are being carefully examined because of their biological effects on humans, plants, and animals. 

GEE, J.M., PRICE, K.R., RIDOUT, C.L., WORTLEY, G.M., HURRELL, R.F., JOHNSON, I.T., Saponins of quinoa Chenopodium quinoa) Effects of processing on their abundance in quinoa products and their biological effects on intestinal mucosal tissue,/. Sci. Food Agric., 1993,63,201-209. 

Hirayama, R., Mukai, T., Nakashima, M., Sasaki, H.,andNishida, K. (2003) Effect of the absorption enhancer saponin on the intrarenal distribution of 5-fluorouracil following its kidney surface application in rats. Biological Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 26 (7), 1049-1051. 

The significant achievements of the last ten years are that the saponins display interesting effects in a great diversity of new biological systems using enzymes or defined cell systems for example in the field of cancer, inflammation, and liver diseases. But the molecular biological data, have to be further investigated in order to explain mechanisms of action which remain still in dark and to confirm and reproduce the observed effects. 

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