T w o n e w triterpenoid pentasaccharides, saxifragifolins C and D, isolated from the aerial part of Androsace saxifragifolia were characterized as androsacenol 3-0-{j3-~-xylopyranosyl-(1 --+ 2 ) -P-Dglucopyranosyl-(I ---4)-[p-~-glucopyranosyl-(l ---4)-~-~-glucopyranosyl-(l ---2 ) ] -a-L-arabinopyranoside} (6) and cyclamiretin A 3-0-{~-~-xylopyranosyl-(l -+ 2) -p-o-glucopyranosyl-(1 --+ 4)-[~-~-glucopyranosyl-(I --+ 4)-j3-~-glucopyranosyl-(l ---2)]-a-~-arabinoside} (7). The structures were elucidated b y a combination of field desorption mass spectrometry, chemical degradation, and 'H and 13C n.m.r. spectroscopy.In previous communications the isolation and characterization of the sapogenols androsacenol (l), cyclamiretin A (2), and cyclamiretin D (3) and the saponins saxifragifolin A (4) and saxifragifolin B (5) from A . saxfragifolia have been reported. Further work on the saponin mixture of the plant led to the isolation of two new triterpenoid pentasaccharides, saxifragifolin C and saxifragifolin D. This paper reports the isolation and structure elucidation of these two glycosides.
Results and DiscussionThe ethanolic extract of the aerial part of A . saxfragifolicr on repeated chromatographic purification on silica gel column afforded, besides fractions A and B whose characterization has already been reported,2 a third fraction, C, which gave positive colour tests for triterpenoid glycosides. This fraction, although apparently homogeneous by t.l.c., was found to be a mixture of two compounds by h.p.l.c., and could successfully be separated by preparative h.p.1.c. to afford saxifragifolin C (6) and saxifragifolin D (7) using a reversed-phase Spherisorb S-10-