**6.1 Anti tumour activity**

Lee et al. [11] of the Department of Biochemistry, the Chinese University of Hong Kong reported that the steroidal saponin of *Paris polyphylla,* polyphyllin D, could served as a candidate for breast cancer treatment. It was found that treatment of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells with polyphyllin D resulted in the inhibition of viability and induction of apoptosis in a dose dependent manner. Mechanistically, polyphyllin D dissipates the mitochondrial membrane potential, induces a down regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl 2 expression and an up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax-expression and activate caspase 9.

Yan et al. [12] of Tianjin University, China has reported that (Diosgenin-3-α-Larabinfuranosyl (1-4)-[α-L-rhamnopyanosyl (1-2)]-β-D-Glycopyranoside), the main steroidal saponin of *Paris polyphylla* showed remarkable cytotoxicity and caused typical apoptosis in a dose dependent manner. Rhizoma Paridis saponins showed anticancer activity against lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, both *in-vivo* and *in-vitro*.

While investigating the anti-cancer activity of 15 traditional Chinese medicines which are usually used for tumour patients in China, using MTT(methyl thiazolylt diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) method on 6 human digestive tumour cell lineshuman liver carcinoma cell lines (HepG2) and SMMC-7721), human gastric cancer cell lines (BGC-823), human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (LoVo and W-116) and oesophagus adenocarcinoma cell line (CaEs-17), it was found t ha t *Paris polyphyll a* showed a predominant inhibitory effect on all the cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 10 μg/mL to 30 μg/mL. The finding suggested the potential of *Paris polyphylla* Smith against digestive cancer [13].

Anti tumour constituents from *Paris polyphylla* var. yunanensis isolated by column chromatography with silica gel and purified by Sephadex LH20 column chromatography and reverse phase preparative HPLC [14] are:


Paris polyphylla*: An Important Endangered Medicinal Plants of Himalayan Foothills DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102920*


#### **6.2 Immuno-stimulating properties**

In the study of three diosgenyl saponin compounds is olated from *Paris polyphylla* i.e. **(1)** 3-O-α-1-rhamnopyranosyl (1-4)-α-1-rhamnopyranosyl (1-4)-[α-1-rhamnopyranosyl (1-2)-α-d-glucopyranoside, **(2)** Diosgenin-3-O-α-1-rhamnopyranosyl (1-2)-α-1-arabinofuranosyl-β-d-glucopyranoside and **(3)** Diosgenin on the immuno-modulatory activity about phagocytosis, respiratory burst and nitric oxide (NO) production, it was found that **(1)** and **(2)** exhibited significant enhancement of phagocytosis, respiratory burst and NO product ion in RAW 264.7 cells (mouse macrophage cells) but **(3)** only showed great augmentation of phagocytotic function. **(3)** Neither showed respiratory burst response nor increases the production of NO. It was concluded that the presence of glucoside moieties of diosgenyl saponins is essential for the activation of immunological reactions, especially during the period of oxygen consumption such as in the process including inflammation and microbial activity although diosgenin **(3)** could only stimulate the macrophages phagocytosis including elimination of foreign or denatured substance [15].
