Saponins Lab Report

Introduction:
Saponins are class of chemical compounds present in many plant species. Strcucture of saponins are derived from 30 carbon precursor oxidosqualene that are attached with glycosyl residue. Saponins are divided into steroid glycosides and triterpenoids, consist with polar and non polar groups. This property shows its amphypathic nature. They consist of nonpolar aglycones part coupled with one or more monosaccharide moieties glycan parts.
Extraction techniques. Recent study has reported the extraction procedure for saponins that are
1. Green extraction technologies
a. Maceration extraction
b. Reflux and soxhlet extraction c. Subsequent extraction
2. Conventional technologies
d. Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE)
e. Microwave

Maceration Extraction: Maceration extraction is a solid liquid extraction . The efficacy of extraction is determined by two main factors, solubility and diffusion. The solubility is determined that polar compound soluble in polar solvents and nonpolar compounds soluble in nonpolar solvents. The rate of dissolution of a solute from the plant material in the extraction solvent is determined by the rate of mass transfer of the solute from the plant material to the the solvent. Previous studies are reported that methanol and ethanol used for extract saponins from plants.
Table 1. (Cheok et al., 2013)
Sl.No Maceration Extraction Plant for saponin isolation
01 Allium ampeloprasum
02 Momordica charantia
03 Polygonatum odoratum
04 Ipomoea batatas
06 Panicum virgatum L.

b. Reflux and Soxhlet: Reflx and soxhlet extraction involves distillation process. The process involves heating a solution to boiling and then returning the condensed vapors in to the original flask. Disadvantage of the extraction is a time consuming, ethanol is mainly used for the saponins from the plant material.
Table 1. (Cheok et al., 2013)
Sl.No Refulx and Soxhlet Extraction Plants for saponin isolation
1 Medicago arabica L
2 Medicago hybrid
3 Yucca schidigera Roezl
4 Medicago Arabica
5 Antonia

Bacopa monnieri (L.) belong to family Scrophulariaceae, is commonly known as Brahmi, Jalbhrami is an important medicinal herb, an annual plant found throughout the Indian subcontinent in wet, damp and marshy areas (Majumdar et al., 2013; and reference therein ) and widely distributed in the warmer parts of Asia, Australia and America (Rahman et al., 2002). This herb has been described in Ayurvedic texts since around 800 BC and recorded as a treatment for a range of mental disorders in the ‘Carak Samhita’ (Majumdar, et al., and reference therein). Bacopa monnieri is classified as medhya rasayan, i.e., a drug that is supposed to counteract the effect of mental stress and improve intelligence and memory function that improve mental health, intellect and memory (medhya) and promote longevity and rejuvenation (rasayana) (Singh, 2013).The alcoholic extract of Bacopa monnieri contains various active alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides triterpenoid saponins such as bacoside A and B (Charles et al., 2011; Majumdar et al., 2013). These are the secondary metabolic products of the plant. Previous studies have shown that two triterpenoid glycoside saponins viz.bacoside A and B, are pharmacologically active compounds in the plant extract (Sivaramakrishna et al., 2005). The bacoside A is a mixture of four triglycosidic saponins,