Triterpenoid saponins from the fruits of Caryocar villosum.

Fourteen new triterpenoid saponins (1-14) were isolated from the methanol extract of the fruits of Caryocar villosum along with 10 known saponins. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, HSQC, and HMBC) and ESIMS studies. The toxicity of the methanolic extracts of the peel and the pulp of fruits and the crude saponin fraction of the peel was assessed using the Artemia salina test. The antimicrobial activities of caryocarosides IV-21 (14), II-1 (16), III-1 (17), and IV-9 (20) and of saponin 23 were also studied in vitro on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Enterococcus faecalis bacteria.