A New Triterpenoid Saponin from the Leaves of Aralia elata

AimTo study the chemical constituents of the leaves of Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem, and find new or effective components.MethodsCompounds were isolated by repeated silica gel, ODS and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The structures were elucidated by NMR and HRESI-MS spectrometry.ResultsA triterpenoid saponin and two flavonoid glycosides were isolated from the leaves of A. elata, and their structures were elucidated as echinocystic acid-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1–3)-β-D-glucuronopyranoside-6'-O-butyl ester (1), 7-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(S)-quercetin-3-O-β-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-rhamnopyranoside (2) and 7-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(S)-quercetin-3-O-β-6-caffeoyl-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-rhamnopyranos-ide (3), respectively.ConclusionCompound 1 is a new triterpenoid saponin, which is the first one with a butyl group isolated from the genus Aralia, while compounds 2 and 3 are reported from this species for the first time.