The roles of natural triterpenoid saponins against Alzheimer's disease

Phytother Res. 2023 Nov;37(11):5017-5040. doi: 10.1002/ptr.7967. Epub 2023 Jul 25.

Abstract

The aging of the world population and increasing stress levels in life are the major cause of the increased incidence of neurological disorders. Alzheimer's disease (AD) creates a huge burden on the lives and health of individuals and has become a big concern for society. Triterpenoid saponins (TS), representative natural product components, have a wide range of pharmacological bioactivities such as anti-inflammation, antioxidation, antiapoptosis, hormone-like, and gut microbiota regulation. Notably, some natural TS exhibited promising neuroprotective activity that can intervene in AD progress, especially in the early stage. Recently, studies have indicated that TS play a pronounced positive role in the prevention and treatment of AD. This review discusses the recent research on the neuroprotection of TS and proceeds to detail the action mechanisms of TS against AD, hoping to provide a reference for drug development for anti-AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; action mechanism; neuroprotection; triterpenoid saponins.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / drug therapy
  • Antioxidants / pharmacology
  • Antioxidants / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Neuroprotection
  • Saponins* / pharmacology
  • Saponins* / therapeutic use
  • Triterpenes* / pharmacology
  • Triterpenes* / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Saponins
  • Triterpenes