11–25), two furostanol glycosides (9 and 26), a pregnane glycoside (10), and a cholestane glycoside (27). The structures of the hitherto undescribed compounds (1–10) were determined from the two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic data and hydrolysis. The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds (1–27) toward HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells, A549 human adenocarcinoma lung cancer cells, and SBC-3 human small-cell
From the bulbs of Allium giganteum, three new steroidal saponins, (25R)-3-O-acetyl-5α-spirostan-2α, 3β, 5α, 6β-tetraol 2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), (25R)-5α-spirostan-2α, 3β, 5α, 6β-tetraol 2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3) and (25R)-3-O-benzoyl-5α-spirostan-2α, 3β, 5α, 6β-tetraol 2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), have been isolated. The new saponins are unique in structure having the sugar moiety at the C-2 hydroxyl position on the steroidal skeleton.