Cytotoxic activities and structure-cytotoxic relationships of steroidal saponins

Steroidal saponins from the bark of Dracaena draco and their cytotoxic activities

From the stem bark of Dracaena draco, three new compounds, namely, draconins A-C (1-3), were isolated, along with 17 known compounds. The structures of the new compounds isolated were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation. Several of the isolated compounds showed potent cytotoxic activities measured on the human leukemia cell line HL-60 (IC(50)'s from 2.0 to 9.7 microM at 72 h). The mechanism by which compounds 1 and 2 display their cytostatic properties is through induction of cell death by apoptosis, as evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and DNA fragmentation.

The biological action of saponins in animal systems: a review

Saponins are steroid or triterpenoid glycosides, common in a large number of plants and plant products that are important in human and animal nutrition. Several biological effects have been ascribed to saponins. 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 agents. These compounds can thus affect animals in a host of different ways both positive and negative.

Steroidal and pregnane glycosides from the rhizomes of Tacca chantrieri

The rhizomes of Tacca chantrieri have been analyzed as part of a systematic study on saponin constituents of medicinal plants. This has resulted in the isolation of three new bisdesmosidic furostanol saponins (1-3), two new bisdesmosidic pseudofurostanol saponins (4, 5), and two new pregnane glycosides (6, 7). Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic studies and a few chemical transformations.