Over the past decades, a number of phytochemicals have been reported to possess potent pharmacological effects. Saikosaponins represent a group of oleanane derivatives, usually as glucosides, which are commonly found in medicinal plants Bupleurum spp., which have been used as traditional Chinese medicine for more than 1,000 years in China. Emerging evidence suggests that saikosaponins have many pharmacological effects, including sedation, anticonvulsant, antipyretic, antiviral, immunity, anti-inflammation, antitumor properties, protecting liver and kidney and so on. The present review provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of the pharmacological properties of saikosaponins, supporting the potential uses of saikosaponins as a medicinal agent.

Two pairs of new sesquineolignan enantiomers, (±)-jatrointelignans A and B (1a/1b and 2a/2b), one pair of new neolignan enantiomers, (±)-jatrointelignan D (4a/4b), and two new neolignans, (+)-jatrointelignan C (3a), and (+)-schisphenlignan I (5a) together with seven known analogues (3b, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, and 8) were isolated from the trunks of Jatropha integerrima. The structures were determined by combined spectroscopic and chemical methods, and their absolute configurations were elucidated by the circular dichroism (CD) method, in particular the configurations of the aryl glycerol-7′′,8′′-yloxy moiety in 1 and 2 were determined via the Rh₂(OCOCF₃)₄-induced CD analysis. All compounds were examined for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BV-2 microglial cells, and compounds 5a, 6a, and 4b exhibited pronounced inhibition on NO production with IC₅₀ values in the range of 5.9–8.9 μM, being more active than the positive control, quercetin (IC₅₀ = 17.0 μM).