Table 5.

Health benefits of lentil saponins.

Biological Activity of Saponins	Main Findings	Reference
Gut microbiota health	Saponins in lentil extracts can be transformed into sapogenins by human gut microbiota, with a modulatory effect on the growth of selected intestinal bacteria.	[105]
Anticancer	Estimated lentil saponin content is 34 mg/100 g. Extracted lentil saponins have been reported as possible antitumor agents. Saponins in lentils are expressed as soya sapogenol B.	[39]
Anti-inflammatory	Soyasaponins from lentils and other legumes inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and MCP-1, PGE2 and NO), inflammatory enzymes (COX-2 and iNOS) and the degradation of IκB-α (an inhibitor of NF-κB, in LPS-stimulated macrophages).	[40]
Hypocholesterolemic and prebiotic	Ethanol/water saponin-rich extracts from lentils can reduce the cholesterol level of rats by 16.8% and increase bile acid levels in the feces of rats. Tested lentils extract shows the same prebiotic activity of inulin and good bifidogenic activity.	[41]