IDENTIFICATION OF INSOLUBLE SALTS OF THE BETA-D-GLUCURONIDES OF EPISARSASAPOGENIN AND EPISMILAGENIN IN THE BILE OF LAMBS WITH ALVELD AND EXAMINATION OF NARTHECIUM-OSSIFRAGUM, TRIBULUS-TERRESTRIS, AND PANICUM-MILIACEUM FOR SAPOGENINS

Crystalloid material soluble in acetic acid was isolated from the bile of lambs with alveld (a hepatogenous photosensitization disease which develops after grazing Narthecium ossifragum). The main components of these bile extracts were shown by hydrolysis, GC-MS, TLC, LSIMS, H-1 and C-13 NMR, and X-ray analysis to be salts of a 4:1 mixture of episa rsasapogenin beta-D-glucuronide (1) and epismilagenin beta-D-glucuroni de (2). The C-13 NMR spectrum of 1 was fully assigned by comparison wi th the NMR spectra of model compounds. A metabolic route for conversio n of the sarsasapogenin saponins of N. ossifragum into 1 is proposed. Saponins were extracted from the foliage of N. ossifragum, Tribulus te rrestris, and Panicum miliaceum. The saponins were hydrolyzed to sapog enins, which were examined by NMR spectroscopy and GC-MS. P. miliaceum afforded a 4:1 mixture of diosgenin and yamogenin, T. terrestris gave a 5:1 mixture of diosgenin and tigogenin, and N. ossifragum yielded a mixture (82:9:5:4) of sarsasapogenin, smilagenin, yamogenin, and anot her spirostanol, tentatively identified as neotigogenin.