title: Steroid and triterpenoid oligoglycosides of marine origin.
abstract: Saponins have been considered for a long time typical metabolites of plant origin. It has been only in the last two decades that the world-wide investigation of marine organisms as sources of new bioactive metabolites disclosed the wide distribution of these molecules also among marine animals. Today saponins are recognized as the most common characteristic metabolites in two classes of the phylum Echinodermata (Holothuroidea and Asteroidea). Furthermore, several steroid and triterpenoid oligoglycosides have been isolated from different species of marine sponges, more rarely Anthozoans, and also from fishes of the genus Pardachirus, where they have been shown to act as shark repellents. This communication offers a general view of the distribution of steroid and triterpenoid oligoglycosides among marine organisms and focuses on a number of recent examples to discuss structural characteristics, biological activities, and methods of investigation.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica delle Sostanze Naturali, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minale
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iorizzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palagiano
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riccio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D004447:Echinodermata / Q000737:chemistry*; D006027:Glycosides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D013256:Steroids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D006027:Glycosides; D008387:Marine Toxins; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D013256:Steroids; D014315:Triterpenes