As plant-derived natural products, saponins have been widely applied for the dietary modification of metabolic syndrome. However, the underlying mechanisms of their preventive and therapeutic effects are still largely unclear. Nuclear receptors have been identified as potential pharmaceutical targets for treating various types of metabolic disorders. With similar structure to endogenous hormones, several saponins may serve as selective ligands for nuclear receptors. Recently, a series of saponins are proved to exert their physiological activities through binding to nuclear receptors. This review summarizes the biological and pharmacological activities of typical saponins mediated by some of the most well described nuclear receptors, including the classical steroid hormone receptors (ER, GR, MR, and AR) and the adopted orphan receptors (PPAR, LXR, FXR, and PXR).

作为植物来源的天然产物，皂苷已被广泛用于代谢综合征的饮食改良。但是，它们的预防和治疗作用的潜在机制仍不清楚。核受体已被确定为治疗各种类型的代谢紊乱的潜在药物靶标。具有与内源激素相似的结构，几种皂苷可以用作核受体的选择性配体。最近，已证明一系列皂苷通过与核受体结合而发挥其生理活性。这篇综述总结了由最著名的一些核受体介导的典型皂苷的生物学和药理活性，这些核受体包括经典的类固醇激素受体（ER，GR，MR和AR）和所采用的孤儿受体（PPAR，LXR，