Biologically Active Saponins from Some Cameroonian Medicinal Plants

Saponins are a large group of natural products derived from the oxidative coupling of six isopentenyl pyrophosphate units. Owing to their biological activities, they have been used for a long time both in ethnic as well as in conventional medicine. This chapter describes 195 of the latest examples of naturally occurring saponins, which have been isolated between 2003 and 2017 from some Cameroonian medicinal plants and classified based on their different families. More research groups in Cameroon are focused on the phytochemical and pharmacological study of Cameroonian medicinal plants. Their main objectives are isolation of secondary metabolites from the selected medicinal plants, establishment of the link between the chemical composition of these plants, and their traditional uses in folk medicine. This chapter also reviews the important biological activities of saponins reported over the last decade.