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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Nat. Prod.
Sec. Isolation and Purification
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fntpr.2024.1524624
This article is part of the Research Topic Innovative Approaches in Isolation and Purification: Balancing Efficiency and Sustainability View all articles

Methods of saponin purification from Quillaja sp. for vaccine adjuvant production

Provisionally accepted
Victor Morais Victor Morais *Norma Suarez Norma Suarez Fernando Silveira Fernando Silveira
  • Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

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

    Saponins are natural glycosides found in many plant species; they have a hydrophobic region, consisting of a steroid or triterpenoid skeleton called an aglycone, and a hydrophilic region, consisting of sugar chains attached to the aglycone through ether or ester linkages. This combination of polar and nonpolar elements endows saponins with soap-like behaviour in aqueous solutions.Owing to their structural characteristics, the amphiphilic nature of saponins is responsible for their foaming properties, as well as other biological functions, including their haemolytic activity.The adjuvant properties of saponins were known many years ago, but only in recent years have saponins been approved for human vaccine use in this manner. Saponins from Quillaja saponaria bark are the only source of approved preparations for human use, but a related species, Quillaja brasiliensis, also contains similar saponin compositions that can be obtained from leaves.In this work, we describe the different preparations of saponins used for adjuvants and the purification methods used to obtain each saponin.

    Keywords: Quillaja saponaria, Quillaja brasiliensis, saponin, adjuvant, nanoparticle, QS-21, Iscom, Matrix

    Received: 13 Nov 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Morais, Suarez and Silveira. 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: Victor Morais, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

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