Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Environ Pollut. 2018 May;236:416-424. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.058.
Saponin-rich extracts from Quillaja saponaria and Chenopodium quinoa have been registered by US EPA as active ingredients in biopesticides, and extract from tea seed powder, Camellia oleifera has been proposed for biocidal use. If saponin-rich biopesticides are efficient against pests, they are most likely also bioactive in the aquatic environment against non-target organisms. The aim of this study was to conduct an effect assessment of saponin-rich plant extracts by using species sensitivity distributions based on acute toxicity tests. The maximal concentrations protecting 95% of the aquatic species (HC) of saponins extracted from quillaja bark, tea seed coat and quinoa seed coat were 2.91 ± 1.00, 0.22 ± 0.11 and 22.9 ± 5.84 mg/L, respectively. The 100-fold difference in toxicity between the saponin-rich extracts from different plant species, indicate that saponin toxicity depends on the species it origins from, making "read-across" between saponins a dubious exercise. In addition, the predicted environmental concentrations of different saponins are close to or higher than their water quality standard, which means that the extracts might pose a risk to the aquatic environment if not used cautiously.
从 Quillaja saponaria 和 Chenopodium quinoa 中提取的富含皂素的提取物已被美国环保署注册为生物农药中的有效成分，而茶籽粉提取物，Camellia oleifera 已被提议用于杀菌用途。如果富含皂素的生物农药对害虫有效，那么它们很可能在水生环境中对非靶标生物也具有生物活性。本研究旨在通过使用基于急性毒性试验的物种敏感性分布来进行富含皂素的植物提取物的效果评估。从 Quillaja bark、茶籽种皮和 Quinoa seed coat 中提取的皂素的最大浓度保护 95%的水生物种（HC）分别为 2.91±1.00、0.22±0.11 和 22.9±5.84 mg/L。不同植物来源的富含皂素的提取物之间毒性相差 100 倍，表明皂素的毒性取决于其来源的物种，因此在皂素之间进行“类推”是值得怀疑的。此外，不同皂素的预测环境浓度接近或高于其水质标准，这意味着如果使用不当，提取物可能会对水生环境构成风险。
