Steroidal saponins, important natural organic compounds in Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, have good biological activity. Structural modification of steroidal saponins by microbial transformation could produce a large number of products with novel structures and excellent bioactivity, which can provide functional compounds for the research and development of steroidal drugs. This study summarized the research progress in steroidal saponins and their microbial transformation in P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis contains 112 steroidal saponins, 8 of which are used as substrates in 35 transformation reactions by 25 microbial species, with the highest transformation rate of 95%. Diosgenin is the most frequently used substrate. Furthermore, the strains, culture medium, reaction conditions, transformation rate, transformation reaction characteristics, and biological activities of the transformed products were summarized. This review may provide reference for the further research on microbial transformation of steroidal saponins in P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis.
Keywords: Paris polyphylla var.yunnanensis; fungi and bacteria; microbial transformation; progress; steroidal saponins.