Advances on the pharmacological activity and mechanism of saikosaponin A

Abstract

Saikosaponin A (SSA) is specified as one of the labeled compounds for evaluating the quality of Bupleurum in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission). Since its discovery, SSA has been found to play an important role in treating diverse diseases via a variety of mechanisms. This review summarizes the current research status and prospects of activities of SSA, providing novel insights into the limitations of current studies. In addition, it discusses whether SSA can be applied in clinical therapy and the possible mechanisms by which SSA may facilitate therapy. The research is significant to understand the potentials of SSA in the development of SSA-based therapeutic strategies and clinical practice.

Keywords

• saikosaponin a
• pharmacological activity
• mechanism of action