Steroidal Saponins and Cell Death in Cancer

Steroidal saponins are natural glycosidic compounds of amphiphilic character. Their diverse biological activities are directly related to the variability of their structural constitutive frameworks, aglycones, and sugars. Several studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of steroidal saponins by their capacity to induce program‐ med cell death in different tumor cell lines. The process of cell death is required to maintain cellular and tissular homeostasis; it has been established that disturbances in the balance between cellular proliferation and cell death lead to several pathologies, including cancer. The antitumor activity of steroidal saponins has been intensely studied allowing elucidation of their different molecular mechanisms of action; this knowledge is crucial to the establishment of new therapeutic strategies against cancer.