STEROIDAL GLYCOSIDES FROM THE UNDERGROUND PARTS OF HOSTA-PLANTAGINEA VAR JAPONICA AND THEIR CYTOSTATIC ACTIVITY ON LEUKEMIA HL-60 CELLS

A new C-22-steroid glycoside was isolated from the underground parts o f Hosta plantaginea var. japonica, together with a known furostanol sa ponin and three known spirostanol saponins. The structure of the new s teroid glycoside was characterized by spectroscopic analysis and acid- catalysed hydrolysis as 2 alpha,3 beta,16 beta-trihydroxy-5 alpha-preg n-20(21)-ene-carboxylic acid gamma-lactone -glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-O-b eta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -->4)-beta-D-galactopyranoside}. The isolated compounds were assayed for their cytostatic activity on leukaemia HL-6 0 cells. The spirostanol saponins showed cytostatic activity in a dose -dependent manner with the IC50 values ranging between 1 and 3 mu g ml (-1). Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd