Any organic polycyclic compound that is the aglycon moiety of a saponin; sapogenins may be steroids or triterpenoids.
| Member | Definition | Role |
|---|
| diosgenin | A sapogenin that is spirostan which is substituted by a hydroxy group at the 3beta position, contains a double bond at the 5-6 position, and has R- configuration at position 25. A natural product found in Dioscorea (wild yam) species, it is used as the starting point for the commercial synthesis of a number of steroids, including cortisone, pregnenolone and progesterone. | diosgenin |
| gypsogenin | A sapogenin that is olean-12-en-28-oic acid substituted by a beta-hydroxy group at position 3 and an oxo group at position 23. | gypsogenin |
| hederagenin | A sapogenin that is olean-12-en-28-oic acid substituted by hydroxy groups at positions 3 and 23 (the 3beta stereoisomer). | hederagenin |
| nuatigenin | | nuatigenin |
| protopanaxatriol | A tetracyclic triterpenoid sapogenin (isolated from ginseng and notoginseng) that is that is dammarane which is substituted by hydroxy groups at the 3beta, 6alpha, 12beta and 20 pro-S positions and in which a double bond has been introduced at the 24-25 position. | protopanaxatriol |
| sarsasapogenin | | (25S)-5beta-spirostan-3beta-ol |
| sarsasapogenin, (3beta,5alpha,25r)-isomer | A widely used steroidal sapogenin isolated from several plant species and used for synthesizing steroid drugs. | tigogenin |
| solasodine | An oxaspiro compound and steroid alkaloid sapogenin with formula C27H43NO2 found in the Solanum (nightshade) family. It is used as a precursor in the synthesis of complex steroidal compounds such as contraceptive pills. | solasodine |