Cytotoxic steroidal saponins from Polygonatum verticillatum Linn.

Two new steroidal saponins, named 26-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-22ξ-hydroxy-(25R)-furost-5-en-3β, 26-diol, 3-O-β [xylopyranosyl (1→3) α-l-rhamnopyranosyl (1→2) β-d-glucopyranoside] (1) and 3-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl (1→3) α-l-rhamnopyranosyl (1→3) β-d-glucopyranoside diosgenin (2), along with protobioside (3), diosgenin (4), β-sitosterol (5) and β-Sitosterol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (6) were isolated from the rhizomes of Polygonatum verticillatum. The structures were elucidated based on physicochemical parameters and spectroscopic analysis. NMR (1 & 2D techniques) was employed to estimate compounds (1-6) in the parent extract (E1) and its fractions (E2 and E4). Cytotoxicity studies of parent extract (E1) and isolates were evaluated against A549 and MCF-7 cell lines. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potent cytotoxic activity in both the cell lines and induces apoptosis. These findings will provide two new potent anticancer molecules for the chemical repository.