Saponins group

Compound Saponin group Organism HPLC method Detectiona Other methods Reference... 

Fujikawa et al. made the interesting observation that an extract from the stem bark given orally at a dose of 250 mg/kg once a day for 2 weeks protects rats against MPTP-induced Parkinsonian bradykinesia and catalepsy and inhibited neuronal loss of dopamine (70). The active constituents involved here are unknown. Note that the plant abounds with pentacyclic oleanene saponins (71-73). Note that Acanthopanax species are known to elaborate a series of diterpenes, a group that has the potency to bind to dopamine receptors, as reported in Vitex agnus-castus. Are diterpenes involved in the dopaminergic properties of Acanthopanax gracilistylus W. W. Sm. ... 

Saponins are glycosylated secondary metabolites that are widely distributed in the Plant Kingdom.3,4 They are a diverse and chemically complex family of compounds that can be divided into three major groups depending on the structure of the aglycone, which may be a steroid, a steroidal alkaloid, or a triterpenoid. These molecules have been proposed to contribute to plant defense.3 6 Saponins are also exploited as drugs and medicines and for a variety of other purposes.4 Despite the considerable commercial interest in this important group of natural products, little is known about their biosynthesis. This is due in part to the complexity of the molecules, and also to the lack of pathway intermediates for biochemical studies. 

FIGURE 1.4 Proposed biosynthetic route for the biosynthesis of (A) squalene oxide (squalene-2,3-oxide) via the isoprenoid pathway and (B) triterpene saponins of the dammarane-type and oleanane-type from squalene oxide. PP, diphosphate group GPS, geranyl phosphate synthase FPS, farnesyl phosphate synthase NADPH, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. 

The three most important groups of steroids are the sterols, bile acids, and steroid hormones. Particularly in plants, compounds with steroid structures are also found that are notable for their pharmacological effects—steroid alkaloids, digitalis glycosides, and saponins. 

A remarkable number of insecticidal plants seem to have been recognized first as fish poisons. This group has received special scientific attention for example, the already mentioned rotenone and other rotenoids of Perris and Lonchocarpus species (3-6), the lupine alkaloids of Sophora species (13), and a saponin (medicagenic acid) from Medlcago sativa leaves ( ). 

The distribution and structural elucidation of saponins have been reviewed. Glucuronides with a free carboxy-group and carbohydrate residues at C-2 and C-4 are readily cleaved with acetic anhydride in refluxing pyridine to give the genuine aglycone (see Vol. 7, p. 145). Details of the mass spectra of a series of permethylated oleanane saponins have been discussed. 

The regioselective esterification of other groups of saponins, e.g., a series of diosgenins [70], the haemolytic compound digitonin [71], and the so-called cardiac glycosides [72], have also been investigated by different groups. 

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