Records of Natural Products, cilt.20, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Antileishmanial activity guided studies on the methanolic extract of the tubers of Cyclamen rohlfsianum Asch. resulted in the isolation and characterization of six saponins. All saponins were established as tri-, tetra-, and pentaglycosidic derivatives of 13β-28-epoxy-oleanane-type triterpenic sapogenols. Two of them were found to be newly described saponins, rohlfsianosides A and B. Their structures were identified as 3-O-β-{[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)]-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)]-α-L-arabi-nopyranosyl}-13β,28-epoxy-16α-hydroxy-30-acetoxy-oleanane (rohlfsianoside A), and 3-O-β-{{[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)]-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)]-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4) ]}-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)]-α-L-arabinopyranosyl}-protoprimulagenin A (rohlfsia-noside B), respectively. Additionally, three known compounds, cyclamiretin A (3β,16α-dihydroxy-13β-28-epoxy-oleanan-30-al) glycosides; cyclaminorin, deglucocyclamin and cyclamen, and protoprimulagenin A (13β-28-epoxy-3β,16α-dihydroxy-oleanane) derivative, lysikoianoside I, were identified. The structure elucidation of the saponins was established by means of spectroscopic methods (1D and 2D NMR, HR-MS). All the saponins showed notable growth inhibitory activity against Leishmania tropica, with IC50 values ranging from 17.5 to 21.9/mL.