Effects of Saponins on Lipid Metabolism: The Gut-Liver Axis Plays a Key Role

• Published in: Nutrients 2024-05, Vol.16 (10), p.1514
• Main Authors: Cao, Shixi, Liu, Mengqi, Han, Yao, Li, Shouren, Zhu, Xiaoyan, Li, Defeng, Shi, Yinghua, Liu, Boshuai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alcohol drinking; AMP-activated protein kinase; amphetamine; Animals; Antilipemic agents; appetite; beta oxidation; bile; Bile acids; Binding proteins; energy intake; exercise; Fatty acids; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - drug effects; Gastrointestinal Tract - drug effects; Gastrointestinal Tract - metabolism; high fat diet; Humans; hypothalamus; Inflammation; Insulin resistance; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipids; lipopolysaccharides; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Metabolism; Metabolites; neuropeptides; peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors; Physiological aspects; Protein binding; Protein kinases; Saponins; Saponins - pharmacology; Signal Transduction - drug effects; society; therapeutics; Toxicity; transcription (genetics); trimethylamine
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16101514

Unhealthy lifestyles (high-fat diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, too little exercise, etc.) in the current society are prone to cause lipid metabolism disorders affecting the health of the organism and inducing the occurrence of diseases. Saponins, as biologically active substances present in plants, have lipid-lowering, inflammation-reducing, and anti-atherosclerotic effects. Saponins are thought to be involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism in the body; it suppresses the appetite and, thus, reduces energy intake by modulating pro-opiomelanocortin/Cocaine amphetamine regulated transcript (POMC/CART) neurons and neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide (NPY/AGRP) neurons in the hypothalamus, the appetite control center. Saponins directly activate the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway and related transcriptional regulators such as peroxisome-proliferator-activated-receptors (PPAR), CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBP), and sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBP) increase fatty acid oxidation and inhibit lipid synthesis. It also modulates gut-liver interactions to improve lipid metabolism by regulating gut microbes and their metabolites and derivatives-short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids (BAs), trimethylamine (TMA), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), et al. This paper reviews the positive effects of different saponins on lipid metabolism disorders, suggesting that the gut-liver axis plays a crucial role in improving lipid metabolism processes and may be used as a therapeutic target to provide new strategies for treating lipid metabolism disorders.