Abstract
A new triterpenoid saponin, named oleiferasaponin A&sub2;, was isolated and identified from Camellia oleifera defatted seeds. Oleiferasaponin A&sub2; exhibited anti-hyperlipidemic activity on HepG2 cell lines. Further study of the hypolipidemic mechanism showed that oleiferasaponin A&sub2; inhibited fatty acid synthesis by significantly down-regulating the expression of SREBP-1c, FAS and FAS protein, while dramatically promoting fatty acid β-oxidation by up-regulating the expression of ACOX-1, CPT-1 and ACOX-1 protein. Our results demonstrate that the oleiferasaponin A&sub2; possesses potential medicinal value for hyperlipidemia treatment.