First results on the insecticidal action of saponins

In the search for new, natural insecticides, numerous scientists are currently trying to obtain useful compound from plants. A possibly interesting class of molecules are the saponins, a group of steroidal or triterpenoidal secondary plant metabolites with divergent biological activities. In this study, we investigated the activity of saponins against living caterpillars Spodoptera littoralis) and aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) via treatment on artificial diets containing different concentrations of saponins. We conclude that saponins have insecticidal activity, causing mortality and/or growth inhibition in the tested insects, although from our experiments the mode of action could not be identified.