Metabolism of saponins from traditional Chinese medicines: a review / 药学学报

ABSTRACT

Saponins are important components in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with significant biological activities, which could be divided into triterpenoid saponins and steroidal saponins according to structures of the aglycone skeletons. This article reviews the in vivo metabolic pathways of some typical natural saponins such as ginsenosides, licorice saponins, saikosaponins, timosaponins and diosgenin glycosides. Saponins often show poor absorbance after oral administration. The in vivo metabolism of saponins generally contain two steps. These compounds usually undergo hydrolysis in stomach and gut. Then they are absorbed into blood and metabolized in liver. The secondary glycosides and the aglycones produced in gastrointestinal tract often show higher bioavailability and better bioactivity, while downstream metabolites in liver are mainly produced by phase I metabolism. Clarification of the in vivo metabolism of bioactive saponins is helpful for the understanding of the effective ingredients in TCM, as well as the discovery of new drugs from natural products.