Neuroprotection of total steroid saponins from Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H.Wright against transient focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats via its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects

OBJECTIVE The total steroid saponins(TSSN)isolated from Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H.Wright(D.zingiberensis)has shown a variety of beneficial bioactivities.However,there are no reports about the neuroprotective effects of the TSSN until now.Therefore,we explored the neuroprotective effects of TSSN on rats against transient focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)and the underlying mechanisms.METHODS The healthy adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into six groups.After pre-treatment with the TSSN intragastrically for six days,the rats were subjected to the ischemia injury by the surgery of middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)for 90 min.Some indexes were evaluated and detected.RESULTS As compared to the I/R group,TSSN group of rats,especially given the 30 mg·kg^-1 of TSSN,not only marked reduction in the neurological deficit scores,cerebral infarct volume,and brain edema,but also an increase in neuron survival(Nissl bodies)in the hippocampal cornuammons 1(CA1)and cortex hemisphere of the ipsilateral ischemia.At the same time,the inflammatory cytokines in serum induced by MCAO were significantly alleviated by the TSSN pre-administration.What′s more,the increase of caspase-3 was evidently reduced in the CA1 and cortex of the hemisphere injured brain.Finally,the down-regulating anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and up-regulating pro-apoptotic Bax proteins were obviously suppressed.CONCLUSION TSSN plays a potential neuroprotective role against a severe injury induced by transient focal cerebral ischemic reperfusion in a rat experimental model,and this role may be mediated by its antiinflammatory and anti-apoptotic actions.

Rapid identification of stigmastane-type steroid saponins from Vernonia amygdalina leaf based onα-glucosidase inhibiting activity and molecular networking

Steroid saponins are secondary metabolites with multiple medicinal values that are found in large quantities in natural medicines,especially Vernonia amygdalina,a famous nature medicine for the treatment of tonsillitis,diabetes,pneumonia.The current study was designed to combine molecular networking(MN)with diagnostic ions for rapid identification ofΔ^(7,9(11))stigmastane-type saponins which were theα-glucosidase inhibitory active substances in V.amygdalina.First,theα-glucosidase inhibitory activities of fiveΔ^(7,9(11))stigmastane-type steroid saponins that were previously isolated were screened,which indicated that theΔ^(7,9(11))stigmastane-type steroid saponin was one of the active constituents responsible for ameliorating diabetes.Furthermore,a strategy was proposed to identify stigmastane-type steroid saponins and verify the plausibility of derived fragmentation pathways by applying MN,MolNetEnhancer and unsupervised substructure annotation(MS2LDA).Based on this strategy,other sevenΔ^(7,9(11))stigmastane-type steroid saponins were identified from this plant.Our research provide scientific evidence for the antidiabetic potential of the steroid saponin-rich extract of V.amygdalina leaf.

Spirostane Steroidal Saponins from the Undergroud Parts of Tupistra chinensis

Two new spirostanol saponins, (25S)-spirostane-1β,3β,5β-triol 3-O-β-D-glucopyrano- side 1 and rhodeasapogenin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-glucopyranoside 2, together with a known saponin, rhodeasapogenin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside 3, were isolated from the underground parts of Tupistra chinensis Bak.. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis.

Steroidal Saponins from the Genus Smilax and Their Biological Activities

The Smilax species,widely distributed in tropical region of the world and the warm areas of East Asia and North America,are extensively used as folk medicine to treat inflammatory disorders.Chemical investigation on Smilax species showed they are rich sources of steroidal saponins with diversified structure types,including spirostane,isospirostane,furostane,pregnane,and cholestane.This review mainly summarizes the steroidal saponins(1–104)reported from the genus Smilax between 1967 and 2016,and their biological activities.The relationship between structures of steroidal saponins and related biological activities were briefly discussed.

Two New Steroidal Saponins from Diuranthera inarticulata

Two new steroidal saponins, diuranthosides D and E, were isolated from the whole plant of Diuranthera inarticulata Wang et K. Y. Lang. By means of spectral and chemical analysis, the structure of the new compounds were established as neotigogenin-3-O-(-D-glucopyranosyl (1?3)-(-D-xylopyranosyl-(1?3)-[(-D-glucopyranosyl(1?2)]-(-D-glucopyranosyl(1?4)-(-D-galactopyranoside (1) and neotigogenin-3-O-(-D-glucopyranosyl(1?3)-(-D-glucopyranosyl (1?3)-(-D-xylopyranosyl(1?3)-[(-D-glucopyranosyl(1?2)]-(-D-glucopyranosyl(1?4)-(-D-galactopyranoside (2) respectively.

Steroidal saponins with anti-inflammatory activity from Tribulus terrestris L.

Objective:Tribulus terrestris L.(T.terrestris)is a highly valuable traditional Chinese medicine used to treat stroke,inflammation,pulmonary fibrosis,liver cancer,and urolithiasis.To identify the basic substance responsible for the anti-inflammatory effect of TST(total saponins of Tribulus),its chemical composition was systematically studied,and its effect of inhibiting nitric oxide generation and the expression of related inflammatory factors were determined.Methods:To separate chemical constituents from T.terrestris by column chromatography.Spectroscopic methods,including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy(NMR)and mass spectrometry(MS)techniques,were used to elucidate the isolated compounds.The anti-inflammatory activities of TST and several compounds were evaluated in vitro.Results:Fifteen steroidal saponins,including 9 furostanol steroidal saponins(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,and 15)and 6 isospirostanol steroidal saponins(9,10,11,12,13,and 14),were isolated from T.terrestris.TST significantly decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-a(TNF-a)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharides.Compounds 13 and 15 evidently reduced TNF-a expression.Compounds 6,10,12,13,and 15 markedly reduced IL-6 expression.Conclusions:Compounds 1 was a novel furostanol steroidal saponin,named 26-O-b-D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-5afurostan-12-carbonyl-20(22)-en-3b,26-diol-3-O-{b-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-[b-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)]-b-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-[a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-b-D-galactopyranoside}.Compounds 2 was isolated from the family Zygophyllaceae for the first time,and 5 and 6 were isolated from the Tribulus genus.TST and compounds 6,10,12,13,and 15 exerts antiinflammatory activity.

NEW MINOR STEROIDAL SAPONINS FROM SMILAX LEBRUNII

Two new minor steroidal saponins, (25R) spirostan-3β-ol-6-one-3-O-[α-L- arabinopyranosyl(1-4)]-β-D-glucopyranosidc (1) and (25S) spirost-5-en -3β, 17α, 27-triol-3-O- [α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1-6)]-β-D-glucopyranosidc (2) were isolated from the roots of Smilax lebrunii. Their structures were established on thc basis of chemical and spectral methods.

Two New Steroidal Saponins from Tacca plantaginea

Two new C27 steroidal glycosides, named taccaoside A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Tacca plantaginea. The spectroscopic and chemical evidences revealed their structures to be 26-O--D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-3?26-dihydroxy furost-5,20-diene -3-O-[?L-rhamnopyranosyl(12)]-[?L-rhamnopyranosyl(13)]--D-glucopyranoside (1) and 26-O--D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-3?26-dihydroxy furost-5,20-diene-3-O-[?L-rhamnopyranosyl- (12)]-[?D-glucopyranosyl(13)--L-rhamnopyranosyl(13)]--D-glucopyranoside (2), res- pectively.

Primary Comments on Chemotaxonomy of Paris spp. Based on Saponins Analysis

Aim The several species of the genus Paris called ＂Chonglou＂ are famous traditional Chinese herbal medicines. We established the quantitative analysis method of the steroidal saponins in some species of the genus Paris and discussed their relations. Methods We detected the contents of 11 steroidal saponins in Paris samples with a Kromasel C18 （ 150 mm× 4.6 mm ID, 5μm） column which was subjected to gradient elution with acetonitrile-water （30：70- 60：40, V/V） at a flow rate of 1 mL· min^-1 by HPLC-ELSD and established chemical cluster tree using SPSS 11 software. Results All the samples could be separated and calibration curves of 11 saponins were prepared. We successfully detected the contents of 11 steroidal saponins in 14 Paris spp. in 30 min. The recovery for the assay of saponins was between 95 % and 97 %. The RSD of precision of 11 saponins and stability of samples were below 3 %. Chemical phylogenetic tree based on saponin contents indicated that 17 samples of Paris spp. clustered separately. Conclusion The established method is accurate and convenient, and suitable for the quantitative analysis of these 11 steroidal saponins in Paris spp.. The chemical phylogenetic tree is in accordance with Takhtajian classical taxonomy.

Furostanol Saponins from Asparagus cochinchinensis and Their Cytotoxicity

Phytochemical investigation on the roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis led to the isolation of one new furostanol saponin,named 26-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-22α-hydroxyl-(25R)-Δ5(6)-furost-3β,26-diol-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)]-β-d-glucopyranoside(1),along with three known congeners(2‒4).The structure of new saponin was elucidated via comprehensive inspection of its HRMS and NMR spectral data as well as chemical technology,whereas those of known ones were identified by comparison of their NMR and MS spectral data with those reported in literatures.All isolated saponins were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects on two human liver(MHCC97H)and lung adenocarcinoma(H1299)cancer cells in vitro.Among them,both 1 and 2 showed significant cytotoxicity against above mentioned cell lines.Further studies revealed that these two saponins could significantly inhibit their proliferation of MHCC97H and H1299 cells.

Limonoid and Steroidal Saponin from Azadirachta indica

A new limonoid,17-(5-methoxy-2-oxofuran-3-yl)-28-deoxonimbolide(1),and a new C21 steroidal saponin,2a,4a-dihydroxy-pregn-5-en-16-one-3a-O-D-glucopyranoside(2),together with 11 known compounds were isolated from the methanol extract of the leaves of Azadirachta indica.The structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis and putative biosynthetic origins.All the compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against six bacterial strains.

A NEW STEROIDAL SAPONIN FROM SMILAX LEBRUNH

A New steroidal saponin was isolated from the rhizomes of Smilax lebrunii. On the basis of spectral and chemical methods, its structure was elucidated as:(25S)spirost-5-en-3β, 17α, 27-triol-3-0-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(1-4)][α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1-6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside.

Steroid and triterpenoid saponins from the rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var.stenophylla

Five new saponins,including three steroid saponins,paristenoids A-C(1-3),and two triterpenoid saponins,paristenoids D-E(4-5),along with four known ones(6-9)were isolated from the rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var.stenophylla.The structures of the isolated compounds were identified nainly by detailed spectroscopic analysis,including extensive 1D and 2D NMR,MS,as well as chemical methods.Compound 3 is a new cyclocholestanol-type steroidal saponin with a rare 6/6/6/5/5 fused-rings cholestanol skeleton,and this skeleton has been first found from the genus Paris.The cytotoxicities of the isolated compounds against three human three glioma cell lines(U87MG,U251MG and SHG44)were evaluated,and compound 7 displayed certain inhibitory effect with ICso values of 15.22±1.73,18.87±1.81 and 17.64±1.69μmol^(-1),respectively.

Unraveling the serial glycosylation in the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins in the medicinal plant Paris polyphylla and their antifungal action

Sugar-sugar glycosyltransferases play important roles in constructing complex and bioactive saponins.Here,we characterized a series of UDP-glycosyltransferases responsible for biosynthesizing the branched sugar chain of bioactive steroidal saponins from a widely known medicinal plant Paris polyphylla var.yunnanensis.Among them,a 2'-O-rhamnosyltransferase and three 6'-O-glucosyltrasferases catalyzed a cascade of glycosylation to produce steroidal diglycosides and triglycosides,respectively.These UDP-glycosyltransferases showed astonishing substrate promiscuity,resulting in the generation of a panel of 24 terpenoid glycosides including 15 previously undescribed compounds.A mutant library containing 44 variants was constructed based on the identification of critical residues by molecular docking simulations and protein model alignments,and a mutant UGT91AH1^(Y187A)with increased catalytic efficiency was obtained.The steroidal saponins exhibited remarkable antifungal activity against four widespread strains of human pathogenic fungi attributed to ergosterol-dependent damage of fungal cell membranes,and 2'-O-rhamnosylation appeared to correlate with strong antifungal effects.The findings elucidated the biosynthetic machinery for their production of steroidal saponins and revealed their potential as new antifungal agents.

Simultaneous determination of steroidal saponins in Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography/ quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The objective of the research is to develop a quantitative method by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography/ quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UHPLC/Q-TOF MS） for the analysis of seven major steroidal saponins （timosaponin N, timosaponin El, timosaponin BII, timosaponin B, anemarrhenasaponin I, anemarrhenasaponin A2, and timosaponin AIII） in Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. The complete separation of these seven steroidal saponins was achieved within 18 min with an ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column using an acetonitrile-water （contain 0.1% formic acid） gradient system. The limits of quantitation （LOQ）, 0.18-0.75 ng/pL for seven steroidal saponins, were determined experimentally. The limits of detection （LOD） were found to be 0.05-0.22 ng/μL for these saponins. The correlation coefficients （r2） for calibration curves varied from 0.9902 to 0.9979. This method showed good repeatability for the quantification of these saponins in rhizomes ofA. asphodeloides, with intra-day and inter-day variations of less than 5.0% for seven steroidal saponins. The recoveries of seven steroidal saponins were from 97.13% to 101.98%. The validated method was successfully applied to quantifying seven steroidal saponins in various sources ofA. asphodeloides （different collecting places or processing methods） and Zhimu concentrate-granules （ZMCG）.

Fingerprint analysis of Zhimu-Huangbai herb pair and simultaneous determination of its alkaloids, xanthone glycosides and steroidal saponins by HPLC-DAD-ELSD

AIM: To develop and validate a high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) coupled with diode array and evaporative light scattering detectors(DAD-ELSD) method for the quantitative determination and fingerprint analysis of ten active constituents in three chemical classes(namely, xanthone glycosides, steroidal saponins, and alkaloids) in Zhimu-Huangbai herb pair(ZB). METHOD: Chromatographic separation was performed on a Diamonsil C18 column(4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm, Dikma) by gradient elution using acetic acid in acetonitrile solution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min–1 at 260 nm. The drift tube temperature of ELSD was set to 60 ℃ and nebulizer gas pressure was 4.0 Bar. Method validation was performed to assure its linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, repeatability, stability, and accuracy. RESULTS: The HPLC-DAD-ELSD method allowed the quantification of ten compounds(phellodendrine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, berberine, neomangiferin, mangiferin, timosaponin E-I, timosaponin B-II, timosaponin B, and timosaponin A-III), and was successfully applied to fingerprint analysis for ten batches of ZB samples. CONCLUSION: This was the first time to apply the combination of DAD and ELSD for the simultaneous determination of ten active ingredients in ZB. The results showed that the combination of quantitative analysis for marker ingredients and chemical fingerprint for the TCM herb pair provides a potentially powerful, widely introduced, and internationally accepted strategy for assessment of complex TCM formulas.

Advances in the antitumor activities and mechanisms of action of steroidal saponins

The steroidal saponins are one of the saponin types that exist in an unbound state and have various pharmacological activities,such as anticancer,anti-inflammatory,antiviral,antibacterial and nerves-calming properties.Cancer is a growing health problem worldwide.Significant progress has been made to understand the antitumor effects of steroidal saponins in recent years.According to reported findings,steroidal saponins exert various antitumor activities,such as inhibiting proliferation,inducing apoptosis and autophagy,and regulating the tumor microenvironment,through multiple related signaling pathways.This article focuses on the advances in domestic and foreign studies on the antitumor activity and mechanism of actions of steroidal saponins in the last five years to provide a scientific basis and research ideas for further development and clinical application of steroidal saponins.

Two new steroidal saponins from the rhizomes of Dioscorea zingiberensis

AIM: To investigate the chemical constituents of Dioscorea zingiberensis C. H. Wright. METHODS: The compounds were isolated by various chromatographic techniques, and the structures of the new steroidal saponins were elucidated by extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR, MS, and IR spectral analysis. RESULTS: The 70% EtOH extract of the rhizomes of Dioscorea zingiberensis afforded two new steroidal saponins, zingiberenosides A(1) and B(2), along with eight known analogues, 3β, 26-dihydroxy-25(R)-furosta-△5, 20(22)-diene-3-O-α-Lrhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(3), methyl parvifloside(4), deltoside(5), methyl deltoside(6), zingiberensis new saponin(7), deltonin(8), progenin III(9) and diosgenin-diglucoside(10). CONCLUSION: Two new steroidal saponins were isolated from Dioscorea zingiberensis and their structures determined.

Steroidal saponins from the roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis

AIM： To study the chemical constituents of the roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis （Asparagaceae）. METHOD： The compounds were isolated with Diaion HP20, silica gel, and ODS chromatography, and their structures were de- termined on the basis of chemical methods, HR-ESI-MS, and 1 D- and 2D-NMR techniques. RESULTS： Seven compounds were isolated from the n-butanol fraction of the roots of A. cochinchinensis, and their structures were elucidated as （25S）-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furostan-3β, 22a, 26-triol-12-one-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside （1）, （25S）-26- O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22a-methoxy-5β-furostan-3p, 26-diol-12-one-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside （2）, （25S）-26-O-β-D-glucopyra- nosyl-5β-furostan-3β, 22a, 26-triol （3）, （25S）-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furstan-3β, 22a, 26-triol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside （4）, （25S）-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furostan-3β, 22a, 26-triol-3-O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-（1, 4）-β-D-glucopyranoside （5）, （25S）- 5β-spirostan-3fl-ol-3-O-a-L-rhamnopyranoside （6）, and （25S）-5β-spirostan-3β-ol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside （7）. CONCLUSION： Compounds 1 and 2 were two new furostanol saponins.

Untiring Researches for Alternative Resources of Rhizoma Paridis

Rhizoma Paridis(RP,M®),a traditional Chinese medicine,is the rhizoma of Paris polyphylla var.yunnanensis(PPY)or P.polyphylla var.chinensis which are widely used as important raw materials for several Chinese patent drugs.However,the wild resources of these herbs have become less and less due to their slow-growing characteristics and previously excessive excavation.This review covers untiring investigations on alternative resources of RP by our research group over the past decades,including non-medicinal parts of PPY as well as other plants of Liliaceae and Liliflorae families.The arial parts of PPY and the whole plants of Trillium kamtschaticum might be alternative resources for RP based on the fact that they shared the same or similar saponins and bioactivities.