ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the chemical constituents in the acid hydrolysates of total saponins from the stems and leaves of Panax ginseng. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by various chromatographic methods, and their structures were identified by NMR and MS data analysis. Results: Thirty-four compounds were isolated and identified as 3β-acetoxy-12β-hydroxy-20(R), 25-epoxydammarane (1), 3β, 6α-diacetoxy-12β-hydroxy-20(R), 25-epoxydammarane (2), 3β-acetoxy-6α, 12β-dihydroxy-20(R), 25-epoxydammarane (3), 20(R)-panaxadiol (4), isodehydroprotopanaxatriol (5), 3-oxo-6α, 12β-dihydroxy-20(R), 25-epoxydammarane (6), dammar-(E)-20(22)-ene-3β, 12β, 25-triol (7), 6α-acetoxy-3β, 12β-dihydroxy-20(R), 25-epoxydammarane (8), 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (9), 20(R)-protopanaxadiol (10), 20(S)-25-ethoxyl-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20-triol (11), 20(R)-panaxatriol (12), dammar-(E)-20(22), 24-diene-3β, 6α, 12β-triol (13), 27-demethyl-(E, E)-20(22), 23-dien-3β, 12β-dihydroxydammar-25-one (14), 3β, 12β-dihydroxy-22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27-hexanordamaran-20-one (15), 3β-acetoxy-6α, 12β, 25-trihydroxy-20(S), 24(R)-epoxy-dammarane (16), 20(S)-25-ethoxyl-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20-triol (17), dammar-(E)-20(22)-ene-3β, 6α, 12β, 25-tetrol (18), dammar-(Z)-20(22)-ene-3β, 6α, 12β, 25-tetrol (19), 20(S)-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20, 25-tetrol (20), 20(R)-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20, 25-tetrol (21), 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (22), 20(R)-protopanaxatriol (23), (20S, 24S)-dammarane-20, 24-epoxy-3β, 6α, 12β, 25-tetraol (24), (20S, 24R)-dammarane-20, 24-epoxy-3β, 6α, 12β, 25-tetraol (25), (20R, 24R)-dammarane-20, 24-epoxy-3β, 6α, 12β, 25-tetraol (26), 3β, 6α, 12β-trihydroxy-22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27-hexanordamaran-20-one (27), 12β-hydroxy-20(R), 25-epoxydammarane-3β-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (28), 20(S)-dammarane-3β, 6α, 12β, 20, 25-pentol (29), 20(R)-dammarane-3β, 6α, 12β, 20, 25-pentol (30), 20(R)-dammarane-3β, 6α, 12β-trihydroxy-20, 25-epoxy-6-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (31), pseudo-ginsenoside-Rh2 (32), 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rh1 (33), and 20(R)-ginsenoside-Rh1 (34). Conclusion: Compounds 1-3, 6, 8, 11, 17, 24-26, and 32 are ginseng triterpenoids isolated from the acid hydrolysates of total saponins from the stems and leaves of P. ginseng for the first time. Pseudo-ginsenoside-Rh2 is a potent antiproliferative agent against human cancer cells.