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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Drug Metabolism and Transport
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1393409
This article is part of the Research Topic New Drugs and Future Challenges in Drug Metabolism and Transport View all articles

Advancements and Challenges in Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Research on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Saponins: A Comprehensive Review

Provisionally accepted
Yuhan Ma Yuhan Ma 1Yongxia Zhao Yongxia Zhao 1Mingxia Luo Mingxia Luo 1Qin Jiang Qin Jiang 1Sha Liu Sha Liu 1Qi Jia Qi Jia 1Zhixun Bai Zhixun Bai 2Faming Wu Faming Wu 1Jian Xie Jian Xie 1*
  • 1 Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China
  • 2 Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Recent research on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) saponin pharmacokinetics has revealed transformative breakthroughs and challenges. The multicomponent nature of TCM makes it difficult to select representative indicators for pharmacokinetic studies. The clinical application of saponins is limited by their low bioavailability and short half-life, resulting in fluctuating plasma concentrations. Future directions should focus on novel saponin compounds utilizing colon-specific delivery and osmotic pump systems to enhance oral bioavailability. Optimizing drug combinations, such as ginsenosides with aspirin, shows therapeutic potential. Rigorous clinical validation is essential for practical applications. This review emphasizes a transformative era in saponin research, highlighting the need for clinical validation. TCM saponin pharmacokinetics, guided by traditional principles, are in development, utilizing multidisciplinary approaches for a comprehensive understanding. This research provides a theoretical basis for new clinical drugs and supports rational clinical medication.

    Keywords: Saponins, Traditional Chinese Medicine, pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, Influencing factors

    Received: 29 Feb 2024; Accepted: 12 Apr 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ma, Zhao, Luo, Jiang, Liu, Jia, Bai, Wu and Xie. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jian Xie, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.