Title:Naturally Occurring Steroidal Saponins as Potential Anticancer Agents:
Current Developments and Mechanisms of Action
Volume: 22
Issue: 17
Author(s): Yulin Zou*
Affiliation:
- The Third Clinical Medical College of China Three Gorges University, Gezhouba Central Hospital of Sinopharm,
Yichang, 443002, Hubei, China
Keywords:
Saponins, Steroidal, Natural products, Anticancer activity, Mechanisms of action, Chemotherapy, Multidrug resistance.
Abstract: Cancer is claimed as a prevalent cause of mortality throughout the world. Conventional
chemotherapy plays a pivotal role in the treatment of cancers, but multidrug resistance has already
become one of the major impediments to efficacious cancer therapy, creating a great demand for the
development of novel anticancer drugs. Steroidal saponins, abundantly found in nature, possess extensive
structural variability, and some naturally occurring steroidal saponins exhibit profound anticancer
properties through a variety of pathways. Hence, naturally occurring steroidal saponins are
powerful lead compounds/candidates in the development of novel therapeutic agents. This review
article described the recent progress of naturally occurring steroidal saponins as potential anticancer
agents, and the mechanisms of action were also discussed, covering articles published between 2017
and 2021.