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Chen Y, Wu J, Yu D, Du X. Advances in steroidal saponins biosynthesis. PLANTA 2021; 254:91. [PMID: 34617240 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-021-03732-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This work reviews recent advances in the pathways and key enzymes of steroidal saponins biosynthesis and sets the foundation for the biotechnological production of these useful compounds through transformation of microorganisms. Steroidal saponins, due to their specific chemical structures and active effects, have long been important natural products and that are irreplaceable in hormone production and other pharmaceutical industries. This article comprehensively reviewed the previous and current research progress and summarized the biosynthesis pathways and key biosynthetic enzymes of steroidal saponins that have been discovered in plants and microoganisms. On the basis of the general biosynthetic pathway in plants, it was found that the starting components, intermediates and catalysing enzymes were diverse between plants and microorganisms; however, the functions of their related enzymes tended to be similar. The biosynthesis pathways of steroidal saponins in microorganisms and marine organisms have not been revealed as clearly as those in plants and need further investigation. The elucidation of biosynthetic pathways and key enzymes is essential for understanding the synthetic mechanisms of these compounds and provides researchers with important information to further develop and implement the massive production of steroidal saponins by biotechnological approaches and methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Materia Medica, Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Junkai Wu
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Materia Medica, Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Dan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Materia Medica, Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Xiaowei Du
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Materia Medica, Ministry of Education, Pharmaceutical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, 150040, China.
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Dong GM, Yu H, Pan LB, Ma SR, Xu H, Zhang ZW, Han P, Fu J, Yang XY, Keranmu A, Niu HT, Jiang JD, Wang Y. Biotransformation of Timosaponin BII into Seven Characteristic Metabolites by the Gut Microbiota. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26133861. [PMID: 34202717 PMCID: PMC8270264 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26133861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Timosaponin BII is one of the most abundant Anemarrhena saponins and is in a phase II clinical trial for the treatment of dementia. However, the pharmacological activity of timosaponin BII does not match its low bioavailability. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of gut microbiota on timosaponin BII metabolism. We found that intestinal flora had a strong metabolic effect on timosaponin BII by HPLC-MS/MS. At the same time, seven potential metabolites (M1–M7) produced by rat intestinal flora were identified using HPLC/MS-Q-TOF. Among them, three structures identified are reported in gut microbiota for the first time. A comparison of rat liver homogenate and a rat liver microsome incubation system revealed that the metabolic behavior of timosaponin BII was unique to the gut microbiota system. Finally, a quantitative method for the three representative metabolites was established by HPLC-MS/MS, and the temporal relationship among the metabolites was initially clarified. In summary, it is suggested that the metabolic characteristics of gut microbiota may be an important indicator of the pharmacological activity of timosaponin BII, which can be applied to guide its application and clinical use in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Ming Dong
- Beijing Hwellso Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing 100044, China;
| | - Hang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Li-Bin Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Shu-Rong Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Hui Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Zheng-Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Pei Han
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Jie Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Xin-Yu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Adili Keranmu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
| | - Hai-Tao Niu
- School of Medicine and Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Jinan University, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Germ-free Animals and Microbiota Application, Guangzhou 510632, China;
| | - Jian-Dong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence: (J.-D.J.); (Y.W.); Tel.: +86-10-831-600-05 (J.-D.J.); +86-10-6316-5238 (Y.W.); Fax: +86-10-630-177-57 (J.-D.J.); +86-10-6316-5238 (Y.W.)
| | - Yan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; (H.Y.); (L.-B.P.); (S.-R.M.); (H.X.); (Z.-W.Z.); (P.H.); (J.F.); (X.-Y.Y.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence: (J.-D.J.); (Y.W.); Tel.: +86-10-831-600-05 (J.-D.J.); +86-10-6316-5238 (Y.W.); Fax: +86-10-630-177-57 (J.-D.J.); +86-10-6316-5238 (Y.W.)
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Chen W, Li R, Zhu S, Ma J, Pang L, Ma B, Du L, Jin Y. Nasal timosaponin BII dually sensitive in situ hydrogels for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease induced by lipopolysaccharides. Int J Pharm 2020; 578:119115. [PMID: 32045690 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common and severe brain disease with a high mortality among the elders, but no highly efficient medications are currently available. For example, timosaponin BII, an efficient anti-AD agent, has low oral bioavailability. Here, timosaponin BII was formulated in a temperature/ion-sensitive in situ hydrogel (ISG) that was well transformed into gels in the nasal environment. Timosaponin BII protected the PC12 cells injured by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) by decreasing TNF-α and IL-1β and stabilizing F-actin. Timosaponin BII ISGs were intranasally administered to the mice every day for 38 days. On Day 36, LPS was injected to the mice to establish an AD model. Morris water maze experiments showed that the number of the animals that were able to cross the platform returned to normal and the total distance over which the animals moved in the open field also increased, which demonstrated that the spatial memory and spontaneous behavior were improved after treatment compared to the model. Moreover, an AD improver, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the brain, was reduced after treatment. High brain targeting effect of timosaponin BII ISGs was confirmed by in vivo fluorescence imaging. The nasal timosaponin BII dually sensitive ISGs can serve as a promising medication for local prevention of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyuan Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China; School of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China
| | - Ruiteng Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China; School of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China
| | - Siqing Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China; Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Jinqiu Ma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China; School of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China
| | - Lulu Pang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China; School of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China
| | - Baiping Ma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Lina Du
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China; School of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China; Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Yiguang Jin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China; Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
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He Y, Hu Z, Li A, Zhu Z, Yang N, Ying Z, He J, Wang C, Yin S, Cheng S. Recent Advances in Biotransformation of Saponins. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24132365. [PMID: 31248032 PMCID: PMC6650892 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24132365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi He
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
- Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430023, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
| | - Zhuoyu Hu
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
| | - Aoran Li
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
| | - Zhenzhou Zhu
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
- Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430023, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
| | - Ning Yang
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
| | - Zixuan Ying
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
| | - Jingren He
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
- Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430023, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
| | - Chengtao Wang
- Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, Beijing Technology & Business University (BTBU), Beijing 100048, China.
| | - Sheng Yin
- Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, Beijing Technology & Business University (BTBU), Beijing 100048, China.
| | - Shuiyuan Cheng
- National R&D Center for Se-rich Agricultural Products Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
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Zhao YF, Zhang YW, Wang Y, Morris-Natschke SL, Liu W, Shang TT, Yin H, Lee KH, Huang XF. New transformation pathway and cytotoxic derivatives from the acid hydrolysis of timosaponin B III. Nat Prod Res 2018; 33:2755-2761. [DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2018.1499640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Fang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu-Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yinru Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Susan L. Morris-Natschke
- Natural Products Research Laboratories, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Natural Products Research Laboratories, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ting-Ting Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hong Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Kuo-Hsiung Lee
- Natural Products Research Laboratories, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Xue-Feng Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
- Natural Products Research Laboratories, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Lin N, Liu B, Zhang J, Long Y, Dong G, Jin H, Ma B. Acute toxicity, 28-day repeated-dose toxicity and toxicokinetic study of timosaponin BII in rats. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 90:244-257. [PMID: 28947379 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Timosaponin BII (TBII), a major steroidal saponin isolated from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge., displays a variety of promising pharmacological activities, such as neuroprotection, enhancement of learning and memory, vascular protection and inhibition of platelet aggregation; therefore, it has been developed as a pharmaceutical for prevention or treatment of dementia. Given the safety concerns surrounding timosaponins and the absence of studies on the safety of TBII, the potential toxicity of TBII was evaluated in toxicity and toxicokinetic studies in rats. In the acute oral toxicity study, loose stools were observed in rats receiving 4000 mg/kg, and the symptoms recovered within 1 day. In the 28-day repeated-dose oral toxicity and toxicokinetic study, rats receiving 540 mg/kg showed loose stools and a slight deceleration of body weight growth in both sexes, and the females also showed a slight decrease in food consumption. Moreover, urinalysis indicated reversible treatment-related toxicity in rats receiving 540 mg/kg. The toxicokinetic study demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in systematic exposure to TBII after 28 successive days of oral treatment with TBII. The accumulation coefficients of TBII were 4.35, 1.70 and 1.81, respectively, in rats that received 60, 180 and 540 mg/kg. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) is proposed to be 180 mg/kg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ni Lin
- Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, People's Republic of China; New Drug Safety Evaluation Center, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China
| | - Baofeng Liu
- Shandong Xinbo Pharmaceutical R&D., Ltd., Shandong 251500, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongpeng Long
- Beijing Hwellso Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd., Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoming Dong
- Beijing Hwellso Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd., Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongtao Jin
- New Drug Safety Evaluation Center, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China.
| | - Baiping Ma
- Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, People's Republic of China.
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