Saponins are steroidal or triterpenoid glycoside that is distinguished by the soap-forming nature. Different saponins have been characterized and purified and are gaining attention in cancer chemotherapy. Saponins possess high structural diversity, which is linked to the anticancer activities. Several studies have reported the role of saponins in cancer and the mechanism of actions, including cell-cycle arrest, antioxidant activity, cellular invasion inhibition, induction of apoptosis and autophagy. Despite the extensive research and significant anticancer effects of saponins, there are currently no known FDA-approved saponin-based anticancer drugs. This can be attributed to a number of limitations, including toxicities and drug-likeness properties. Recent studies have explored options such as combination therapy and drug delivery systems to ensure increased efficacy and decreased toxicity in saponin. This review discusses the current knowledge on different saponins, their anticancer activity and mechanisms of action, as well as promising research within the last two decades and recommendations for future studies.

The present study evaluates the hypoglycemic, antiperoxidative and antihyperlipidemic activities of saponins from Solanum anguivi fruits in alloxan induced diabetes rats. Diabetic rats were treated with saponin (20–100mg/kg) for 21days. Results indicated that administration of saponins significantly reduced the elevated levels of glucose, decreased total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and increased high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the serum towards normalcy when compared to the diabetic control (p<0.05). In addition, saponins exhibited strong inhibition of lipid peroxidation and increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) in the serum, liver and pancreas when compared to the diabetic control (p<0.05). Our results suggest that saponins from S. anguivi fruit can enhance the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties in alloxan-induced diabetic rats, and may have the potential to be used in the prevention or in the management of diabetes