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Quillaja saponaria Molina

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Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of South America Vol. 2

Part of the book series: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World ((MAPW,volume 7))

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Abstract

Quillaja saponaria Mol., Quillajaceae is an endemic Chilean tree known by the vernacular name: “quillay”. Infusions of its leaves and bark are employed traditionally to combat cough and bronchitis. The bark decoction is used to treat chronic skin lesions. Also, the Mapuche people use the bark as an analgesic and as a detergent. The whole aerial parts are one of the main industrial sources of triterpene saponins. Their structures and biosynthesis are quite complex. These saponins are responsible for the biological properties for which they are used in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries for their surfactant properties. Due to their powerful immunoadjuvant properties, Quillaja saponins are used to manufacture vaccines for human and veterinary use. Together with antigens, cholesterol and phospholipids, they form immunostimulant complexes (ISCOMs) which have proved to be an effective way of presenting antigens to the immune system. Additionally, the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of the main aglycone, quillaic acid, have been demonstrated in preclinical models.

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Quillaja saponaria Mol. (Photo: Carla Delporte)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química Farmacológica y Toxicológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Carla Delporte

  2. Escuela de Química y Farmacia, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile

    Maité Rodríguez-Díaz

  3. Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Santiago, Chile

    Bruce K. Cassels

Authors
  1. Carla Delporte
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  2. Maité Rodríguez-Díaz
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  3. Bruce K. Cassels
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Correspondence to Carla Delporte .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agr. & Food Sc., Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary

    Ákos Máthé

  2. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Farmacognosia, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Arnaldo Bandoni

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Delporte, C., Rodríguez-Díaz, M., Cassels, B.K. (2021). Quillaja saponaria Molina. In: Máthé, Á., Bandoni, A. (eds) Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of South America Vol. 2. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62818-5_36

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