Asparinins, asparosides, curillins, curillosides and shavatarins: structural clarification with the isolation of shatavarin V, a new steroidal saponin from the root of Asparagus racemosus

A new steroidal saponin, shatavarin V, (3-O-{[α-l-rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)][β-d-glucopyranosyl(1→4)]-β-d-glucopyranosyl}-(25S)-5β-spirostan-3β-ol), was isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus by RP-HPLC, and its structure determined by 1D and 2D NMR studies. This data permits clarification of the structures reported for several known saponins: asparinins A and B; asparosides A and B; curillin H; curillosides G and H and shavatarins I and IV.

Graphical abstractA new steroidal saponin, shatavarin V, has been isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus, and its structure assigned. Although this same structure has been previously attributed to other saponins, careful analyses and comparisons of the NMR data for the complete suite of the different candidates, confirm the novelty of this structure, deduced from a combination of 1D (1H, 13C, DEPT, TOCSY) and 2D (COSY, HSQC, HMBC) NMR spectra.Download full-size image