Saponins are specialized plant terpenoids derived from the mevalonic acid pathway. Triterpenoid saponin cores are decorated with sugar residues, conferring a highly amphipathic nature to these molecules, which show hypocholesterolemic, immunoadjuvant and anti-inflammatory activities, among others. Natural sources of bioactive saponins are relevant in light of the technical challenges of chemical synthesis of these compounds. Current supply of high quality, homogeneous and renewable plant material falls short of industrial demand. Research regarding molecular regulation of saponin metabolism has advanced considerably in recent years. Recent studies have focused on transcriptome analysis and identification of key transcription factors regulating gene expression patterns related to saponin biosynthesis. Biotechnological approaches to engineer saponin production in plants, organ and cell cultures, as well as development of heterologous expression systems, are being actively pursued as alternative sources of these high value plant terpenoids. It is expected that these efforts will impact industrial scale sustainable production systems in the coming years.

皂苷是衍生自甲羟戊酸途径的专门植物类萜。三萜皂苷核心装饰有糖残基，赋予这些分子高度两亲的性质，这些分子显示出降胆固醇，免疫佐剂和抗炎活性。鉴于这些化合物化学合成的技术挑战，生物活性皂苷的天然来源具有重要意义。当前高质量，均质和可再生植物材料的供应不足工业需求。近年来，关于皂苷代谢的分子调控的研究已大大发展。最近的研究集中在转录组分析和调节与皂苷生物合成有关的基因表达模式的关键转录因子的鉴定上。在植物，器官和细胞培养物中生产皂苷的生物技术方法以及异源表达系统的开发正积极地寻求作为这些高价值植物类萜的替代来源。预计这些努力将在未来几年内影响工业规模的可持续生产系统。