Cholestane rhamnosides from the bulbs of Ornithogalum saundersiae.

Phytochemical examination of the bulbs of Ornithogalum saundersiae yielded six cholestane rhamnosides, two of which had previously been isolated from the same plant material. However, detailed spectroscopic analysis of the aglycone led us to revise the configuration of the C-11 hydroxyl group of the latter two and reassign their structures as (22S)-cholest-5-ene-3 beta,11 alpha,16 beta,22-tetrol 16-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside and (22S)-cholesta-5,24-diene-3 beta,11 alpha,16 beta,22-tetrol 16-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, respectively. The other four are new naturally occurring constituents and their structures were determined to be (22S)-cholest-5-ene-3 beta,11 alpha,16 beta,22-tetrol 16-O-(2,3-di-O-acetyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside), (22S)-cholest-5-ene-3 beta,11 alpha,16 beta,22-tetrol 16-O-{2-O-acetyl-3-O-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyran oside}, (22S)-cholest-5-ene-3 beta,11 alpha,16 beta,22-tetrol 16-O-{2-O-acetyl-3-O-(p-methoxybenzoyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside} and (22S)-cholesta-5,24-diene-3 beta,11 alpha,16 beta,22-tetrol 16-O-(2,3-di-O-acetyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside), respectively. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytostatic activity against leukemia HL-60 cells.