Steroidal saponins are an important type of plant-specific metabolite that are essential for plants' responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Because of their extensive pharmacological activities, steroidal saponins are also important industrial raw materials for the production of steroidal drugs. In recent years, more and more studies have explored the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins in plants, but most of them only focused on the biosynthesis of their molecular skeleton, diosgenin, and their subsequent glycosylation modification mechanism needs to be further studied. In addition, the biosynthetic regulation mechanism of steroidal saponins, their distribution pattern, and their molecular evolution in plants remain unclear. In this review, we summarized and discussed recent studies on the biosynthesis, molecular regulation, and function of steroidal saponins. Finally, we also reviewed the distribution and molecular evolution of steroidal saponins in plants. The elucidation of the biosynthesis, regulation, and molecular evolutionary mechanisms of steroidal saponins is crucial to provide new insights and references for studying their distribution, diversity, and evolutionary history in plants. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of steroidal saponin biosynthesis will contribute to their industrial production and pharmacological applications.

中文翻译：

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植物甾体皂苷的生物合成与分子进化研究进展。

甾体皂苷是一种重要的植物特异性代谢物，对于植物对生物和非生物胁迫的反应至关重要。甾体皂甙因其广泛的药理活性，也是生产甾体药物的重要工业原料。近年来，越来越多的研究探索了植物中甾体皂苷的生物合成，但大多只关注其分子骨架——薯蓣皂苷元的生物合成，其后续的糖基化修饰机制有待进一步研究。此外，甾体皂甙的生物合成调控机制、分布规律以及在植物中的分子进化等仍不清楚。在这篇综述中，我们总结和讨论了近年来关于生物合成、分子调控、甾体皂苷的作用。最后，我们还综述了甾体皂苷在植物中的分布和分子进化。阐明甾体皂苷的生物合成、调控和分子进化机制，对于研究其在植物中的分布、多样性和进化史提供新的见解和参考至关重要。此外，对甾体皂苷生物合成的深入了解将有助于其工业化生产和药理应用。和植物的进化史。此外，对甾体皂苷生物合成的深入了解将有助于其工业化生产和药理应用。和植物的进化史。此外，对甾体皂苷生物合成的深入了解将有助于其工业化生产和药理应用。