Chemical constituents and biological activities of saponin from the seed of Camellia oleifera.

Camellia oleifera Abel (Theaceae) is a woody plant that is native to China. It is an important source of edible oil and is used in traditional medicine. It contains a triterpenoid saponin with high medical value that can be obtained from the seed cake residue (marc) after oil extraction. This saponin has prospects for wide applications. In this review, we summarize previous and current information regarding the chemical structure, physicochemical properties and biological activities of the saponin from the seed cake of C. oleifera and provide new insights for future research.   Key words: Saponin, C. oleifera Abel, biological activity, chemical constituent.