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Review
. 2019 Jun 26;24(13):2365.
doi: 10.3390/molecules24132365.

Recent Advances in Biotransformation of Saponins

Yi He  1   2   3 , Zhuoyu Hu  4 , Aoran Li  5 , Zhenzhou Zhu  6   7   8 , Ning Yang  9 , Zixuan Ying  10 , Jingren He  11   12   13 , Chengtao Wang  14 , Sheng Yin  15 , Shuiyuan Cheng  16
Affiliations
Review

Recent Advances in Biotransformation of Saponins

Yi He et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Saponins are a class of glycosides whose aglycones can be either triterpenes or helical spirostanes. It is commonly recognized that these active ingredients are widely found in various kinds of advanced plants. Rare saponins, a special type of the saponins class, are able to enhance bidirectional immune regulation and memory, and have anti-lipid oxidation, anticancer, and antifatigue capabilities, but they are infrequent in nature. Moreover, the in vivo absorption rate of saponins is exceedingly low, which restricts their functions. Under such circumstances, the biotransformation of these ingredients from normal saponins-which are not be easily adsorbed by human bodies-is preferred nowadays. This process has multiple advantages, including strong specificity, mild conditions, and fewer byproducts. In this paper, the biotransformation of natural saponins-such as ginsenoside, gypenoside, glycyrrhizin, saikosaponin, dioscin, timosaponin, astragaloside and ardipusilloside-through microorganisms (Aspergillus sp., lactic acid bacteria, bacilli, and intestinal microbes) will be reviewed and prospected.

Keywords: bioavailability; biotransformation; microorganisms; saponins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of triterpenoid saponin (1) and steroidal saponins (2). R = sugar moiety.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The chemical structures of compound 4,5.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The chemical structures of compound 17,18.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Ginsenoside transformation pathway.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The chemical structures of compound 19–27.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The chemical structures of compound 28–35.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Metabolic pathway of Gyp-III in vivo.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The chemical structures of compound 37–39.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Glycyrrhetinic acid conversion pathway.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The chemical structures of compound 40–44.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The chemical structures of compound 50–61.
Figure 12
Figure 12
The chemical structures of compound 62–65.
Figure 13
Figure 13
The chemical structures of compound 66,67.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Transformation of diosgenin in rat intestinal flora.
Figure 15
Figure 15
The chemical structures of compound 75–80.
Figure 16
Figure 16
The proposed metabolic pathway of TB-II in rat [68].
Figure 17
Figure 17
Astragaloside through human intestinal flora transformation pathway.
Figure 18
Figure 18
The chemical structures of compound 103–106.
Figure 19
Figure 19
Transformation pathway of ADS-I.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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