The preventive and therapeutic effects of saponin from Tribulus terrestris L. on diet-induced hyperlipidemia in mice have been studied. It showed that in preventive experiment the saponin could significantly low the levels of serum TC (P < 0.05), LDL-c (P < 0.01) and liver TC (P < 0.05), TG (P < 0.05), and increase the activities of superoxide-dismutase (SOD) in liver. The therapeutic experimen...

Vaccination is the main strategy for preventing influenza infection. However, vaccine efficacy is influenced by several factors, including age and health status. The efficacy of the influenza vaccine is much lower (17% to 53%) in individuals over 65 yr of age compared with young adults (70% to 90%). Therefore, increasing vaccine efficacy remains a challenge for the influenza vaccine field. In t...

Ultrastructural techniques and electron probe microanalysis were used to determine whether or not the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) within presynaptic nerve terminals is a Ca-sequestering site. The three-dimensional structure of the SER was determined from serial sections of synaptosomes. The SER consists of flattened cisterns that may branch and are frequently juxtaposed to mitochondria. ...

WILKINS, A.L., MILES, C.O., DE KOCK, W.T., ERASMUS, G.L., BASSON, A.T. & KELLERMAN, T.S. 1996. Photosensitivity in South Africa. IX. Structure elucidation of a ~-glucosidase-treated saponin from Tribulus terrestris and the identification of saponin chemotypes of South African T. terrestris. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 63:327-334 Saponin C, a ~-glucosidase-treated saponin isola...

Four new saponins, 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl]-16a lpha-hydroxyoleanolic acid 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (called aralia-saponin I), 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl]-16a lpha-hydroxyhederagenin 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (aralia-saponin II), 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-alpha-L-+ ++arabinopyr...

background: marine natural products contain a wide range of bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties that have revealed crucial properties in the treatment of some diseases. some of these compounds have recently received considerable attention for drug discovery. in this study we examined the anti-angiogenic effect of saponin isolated from holothuria leucospilota (sea cucumber) through e...

acanthophyllum laxiusculum is one of the most widely distributed species of the genus in iran that flourishes in steppe and mountainous regions of the country. in the present study, water-soluble content of a. laxiusculum roots was extracted by boiling water and further successively purified partially by a defined solvent system. surface tension measurements revealed the ability of plant extrac...

Brachiaria species are cultivated worldwide in tropical and subtropical climates as the main forage source for ruminants. Numerous tropical and warm-season grasses cause hepatogenous photosensitization, among them several species of Brachiaria. Steroidal saponins present in these plants may be responsible for liver damage. However, sporidesmin and other hepatotoxic mycotoxins are likely to prod...

Quillaja brasiliensis (Quillajaceae) is a saponin producing species native from southern Brazil and Uruguay. Its saponins are remarkably similar to those of Q. saponaria, which provides most of the saponins used as immunoadjuvants in vaccines. The immunostimulating capacities of aqueous extract (AE) and purified saponin fraction (QB-90) obtained from leaves of Q. brasiliensis were favorably com...