Bioactive Fabaceous Saponins and Structure-Activity Relationship

Saponins are glycosidic compounds present in many edible and inedible plants. Structurally, they are composed of a lipid-soluble aglycone consisting of either a sterol or, more commonly, a triterpenoid and water-soluble sugar residues differing in type and amount of sugars ［1］. Because of their amphiphilic nature, they are highly surface-active. Their biological activity is closely related to the chemical structures that determine the polarity, hydrophobicith and acidity of compounds ［1］. (omitted)