Steroidal Saponins from Vernonia amygdalina Del. and Their Biological Activity.

In the present study, four new steroidal saponins, namely vernoniamyoside A-D (1-4), together with the two known steroidal saponins vernoamyoside D (5) and vernonioside B₂ (6) were isolated from the ethanol extract of leaves of the African medicinal plant Vernonia amygdalina Del. (Asteraceae). Their structures were demonstrated by spectral analyses along with 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and mass spectrometry (MS). The cytotoxicity of the compounds was also tested by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method on the cell lines Hela, MCF-7, BT-549 and MDA-MB-231. Vernoniamyoside A, vernoniamyoside B, and vernonioside B₂ showed cytotoxicity towards BT-549 cell lines. Vernoniamyoside C, vernoniamyoside D and vernoamyoside D showed different levels of cytotoxic activities.