Saponins are secondary metabolites with high molecular weight. They present in a wide range of plant species and are distributed throughout the bark, leaves, stems, roots and even flowers. Saponins are bitter in taste and in recent years, they have received considerable attention because of their various biological activities including hepatoprotective, anti-ulcer, anti-tumor, antimicrobial, ad...

Sea cucumbers are characterized by their content in holothurins, triterpenoid glycosides that are responsible for the toxicity of these echinoderms. Nearly 100 holothurins isolated in the last twenty years are grouped into three main aglycone structural types: 3p-hydrox>iiolost-9(ll)-ene, 3p-hydrox5*iolost-7-ene and nonholostane based aglycones. This communication offers a general view of the s...

Two new triterpenoid saponins (1, 2) were isolated from the roots of Gypsophila altissima L. (Caryophyllaceae), together with a known compound (3). The structures of new saponins were established as quillaic acid 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranoside (1), and 3-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->3)]-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl quillaic acid 28-O-(6-...

Two minor triterpenoid saponins, ardisicrenoside G [3 beta-O-{alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)- [beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl}-16 alpha,28-dihydroxyolean-12-en-30-oic acid] and ardisicrenoside H [3 beta-O-{beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D- glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-alpha-L- arabinopyranosyl}-16 alpha,28-dihy...