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Commercial Utilization of Plant-Derived Saponins: An Overview of Medicinal, Pharmaceutical, and Industrial Applications

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Saponins Used in Traditional and Modern Medicine

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 404))

Abstract

Plant-derived triterpenoid and steroidal saponins have historically received a number of industrial and commercial applications ranging from their use as sources of raw materials for the production of steroid hormones in the pharmaceutical industry, to their use as food additives and as ingredients in photographic emulsions, fire extinguishers, denatured alcohol, and other industrial applications which take advantage of their generally non-ionic surfactant properties.1-15 The useful biological applications of saponins, generally based on their membrane-disrupting properties, range from their use as fish and snail poisons for the control of populations of “trash” fish and human disease-bearing schistosomes in various waterways, 11,13 to potentially interesting anti-cancel11,12,16 and ion channel-blocking properties.11 Other interesting biological applications for various specific saponins include their uses as antiinflammatory,11,15 hypocholesterolemic,16,17 immune-stimulating,18,19 and flavor-modifying substances1,10,11 whose properties are widely recognized and commercially utilized outside of the U.S.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc, 420 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108-1256, USA

    Manuel F. Balandrin

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  1. Manuel F. Balandrin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oklahoma State University, 246B Noble Research Center, 74078-0454, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA

    George R. Waller

  2. Institute of Pharmaceutical Science School of Medicine, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734, Japan

    Kazuo Yamasaki

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© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Balandrin, M.F. (1996). Commercial Utilization of Plant-Derived Saponins: An Overview of Medicinal, Pharmaceutical, and Industrial Applications. In: Waller, G.R., Yamasaki, K. (eds) Saponins Used in Traditional and Modern Medicine. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 404. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1367-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1367-8_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1369-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1367-8

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