Steroidal saponins from the bulbs of Lilium candidum

Five new spirostanol saponins and a new furostanol saponin were isolated fr om the fresh bulbs of Lilium candidum. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including two-dimensional NMR spectros copic techniques and the result of acid hydrolysis. The isolated saponins c ontained a branched triglycoside moiety assigned as O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranos yl-(1 --> 2)-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 --> 6)]-beta-D-glucopyranose with the formation of an O-glycosidic linkage to C-3 of the aglycone as the comm on structural feature. The inhibitory activity of the saponins on Na+/K+ AT Pase was evaluated. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.