Orally administrated diosgenin, a steroidal saponin found in several plants including Dioscorea villosa, recovers skin thickness reduced in ovariectomized mice, and plays an important role in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Thus, diosgenin is an active element of cosmeceutical and dietary supplements. However, we have already elucidated that the skin distribution and absolute oral bioavailabil...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether diosgenin suppresses cholesterol absorption in rats, and to examine relevant changes in cholesterol and bile acid metabolism. Diosgenin fed with the diet for 1 week inhibited cholesterol absorption as determined by the serum isotope ratio technique, as well as by measuring in the feces the amount of unabsorbed radioactivity from orally administ...

Diosgenin, a traditional Yam extraction, has been used in hormone replacement for menopausal women. We aimed to investigate the influences of diosgenin administration upon the MMP-2 and -9 activity and expression and reproductive hormones of ovariectomized (OVX) rats, a model of menopausal status. Seven-week old female Wistar rats with bilateral OVX or sham operation (controls) were divided and...

Diosgenin (a steroidal saponin of yam) has long been used as a raw material for the industrial production of steroid drugs, and reported to have a hypocholesterolemic effect by suppressing cholesterol absorption and increasing cholesterol secretion. Oxidative stress has been suggested as a main risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the possib...

In this study, we compared the potencies of diosgenin, a plant-derived sapogenin structurally similar to estrogen and progesterone, on vascular smooth muscle functions ranging from contraction and migration to apoptosis. The effects of diosgenin on vascular smooth muscle cell viability and migration were measured using a primary mouse aortic smooth muscle cell culture. The effects of diosgenin ...

The effects of sanyaku, a traditional Chinese medicine [freeze-dried powder of the yam tuber (Dioscorea)], and its major steroidal saponin constituent, diosgenin, on colon carcinogenesis were investigated. Male ICR mice were subjected to a single intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane (AOM; 10 mg/kg body weight) followed by administration of 1.5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in drinking wate...

Diosgenin, a naturally occurring steroid saponin found abundantly in legumes and yams, is a precursor of various synthetic steroidal drugs. Diosgenin is studied for the mechanism of its action in apoptotic pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Based on DAPI staining, diosgenin-treated cells manifested nuclear shrinkage, condensation, and fragmentation. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 4...

Diosgenin, extracted from the root of wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), has been reported to demonstrate an opportunity for medical application. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) plays an important role in bone-related angiogenesis, a critical process occurring during bone formation and fracture healing. In this study, we examine whether diosgenin is able to induce VEGF-A expression and...

Diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial metabolic disease characterized by post-prandial hyperglycemia (PPHG). α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors aim to explore novel therapeutic agents. Herein we report the promises of Dioscorea bulbifera and its bioactive principle, diosgenin as novel α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitor. Among petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and 70% ethanol (v/v)...