A new ergostanol saponin from Dioscorea deltoidea Wall var. orbiculata.

From the fresh rhizomes of Dioscorea deltoidea Wall var. orbiculata, a novel ergostanol saponin, orbiculatoside A (1), was isolated and identified as 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-ergost-5-ene-3beta, 26-diol-26-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3)-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucupyranosyl(1-->6)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside by various NMR techniques in combination with chemical methods. The new saponin showed strong activity against Pyricularia oryzae, with a MMDC (minimum morphological deformation concentration) value of 28.04 micromol/l and was cytotoxic to cancer cell line K562, HCT-15, A549, HT1080, and A2780a in vitro.