Diosgenin

Diosgenin, a well-known steroid sapogenin derived from plants, has been used as a starting material for commercial synthesis of cortisone, pregnenolone, progesterone, and other steroid products. Diosgenin has shown many pharmacological activities. It exhibits anticancer, hypocholesterolemic, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, estrogenic, and skin protective effects. This is mainly by inducing apoptosis, suppressing malignant transformation, decreasing oxidative stress, preventing inflammatory events, promoting cellular differentiation/proliferation, and regulating T-cell immune response. It interferes with cell death pathways and their regulators to induce apoptosis. Diosgenin antagonizes tumor metastasis by modulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and actin cytoskeleton to change cellular motility, suppressing degradation of matrix barrier, and inhibiting angiogenesis. Diosgenin has also been reported to reverse multi-drug resistance in cancer cells and sensitize cancer cells to standard chemotherapy. Additionally, diosgenin improves antioxidant status and inhibits lipid peroxidation. Its anti-inflammatory activity is through inhibiting production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, enzymes and adhesion molecules. Furthermore, diosgenin drives cellular growth/differentiation through the estrogen receptor (ER) cascade and transcriptional factor PPARγ. Diosgenin has also be used to synthesize steroidal drugs. Several novel diosgenin analogs and nano-formulations have been synthesized with improved anti-cancer efficacy and pharmacokinetic profile.