Saponins as cytotoxic agents : an update (2010-2018) : part I-steroidal saponins

Steroidal saponins are a group of glycosides widely distributed among monocotyledonous families. They exert a wide spectrum of biological effects including cytotoxic and antitumor properties which are the most studied. This review is an update of our previous paper-Saponins as cytotoxic agents (Podolak et al. in Phytochem Rev 9:425-474, 2010) and covers studies that were since published (2010-2018). In this paper we refer to steroidal saponins presenting results of cytotoxicity studies, mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationships

<i>In vitro</i> anti-denaturation and anti-hyaluronidase activities of extracts and galactolipids from leaves of <i>Impatiens parviflora</i> DC

<p>The <i>in vitro</i> anti-denaturation and anti-hyaluronidase activities of <i>Impatiens parviflora</i> extracts and isolated galactolipids (MGDG-1, DGDG-1) were investigated. This is the first report on these compounds in <i>I. parviflora</i>. All extracts showed anti-hyaluronidase activity, but only methanolic extract from fresh leaves exhibited significant activity against heat-induced denaturation of BSA in a dose-dependent manner. At 500 μg/mL, the extract and the reference drug showed 79.05% and 99.81% inhibition of protein denaturation, respectively. These results indicate that fresh leaves of <i>I. parviflora</i> may be beneficial in inflammatory conditions, especially those associated with protein denaturation, such as rheumatoid arthritis. The study revealed that only MGDG-1 showed weak activity in anti-denaturation assay but both galactolipids were potent inhibitors of hyaluronidase. MGDG-1 completely inhibited the enzyme activity at the concentration of 127.9 μg/mL. These results indicate the potential of galactolipids in the treatment of diseases associated with the loss of hyaluronic acid.</p