Industrial and Environmental Applications of Plant-Derived Saponins: An Overview and Future Prospective

Saponins are a diverse group of compounds (triterpenoid and steroid glycosides), widely distributed, and characterized by their structures, which differ in the number of sugar units linked in various positions. Saponins have emerged as commercially significant compounds with expanding applications in food, cosmetics, and other pharmaceutical applications as a result of consumer demand for their surfactant properties and have received significant attention due to their biological activities (such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, delivery adjuvant, anticholesterol, and anti-inflammatory properties). To overcome the processing difficulties given by their complexity, new methods for their extraction and purification strategies must be developed in order to realize their full commercial potential. More attention must be paid to this group of metabolites because many of the active mechanisms are still unknown, and plant-derived saponins have great potential for replacing toxic synthetic or animal-derived surfactants in a wide range of modern commercial products. This review provides an update on the sources, structures, and pharmaceutical applications of phytosaponins and discusses the prospects and challenges of future saponin-based formulations or products.