A new triterpenoid saponin and an oligosaccharide isolated from the fruits of Sapindus mukorossi

Abstract

A new triterpenoid saponin (1) and a new oligosaccharide (2), together with three known saponins (3–5), have been isolated from n-BuOH extract of the fruits of Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. The structures were elucidated using detailed analysis of one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectra along with their mass spectrometric data and the results of acid hydrolysis. Of the isolated compounds 1 and 3–5 displayed cytotoxic effects against human cancer cell lines in A-549 (lung carcinoma), MDA-231 (breast carcinoma) and PC-3 (prostatic carcinoma).

Keywords::

• Sapindus mukorossi
• triterpene saponin
• oligosaccharide
• cytotoxicity

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81102782); Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 2011M501368); and Special Project on the Integration of Industry, Education and Research of Guangdong Province (Grant No. 2011B090400140).