[Furosteroidal saponin from Smilacina japonica].

Smilacina japonica is a perennial herb, belonging to Smilacina genus of Liliaceae. A new furosteroidal saponin (1) was isolated and purified from the ethanol extract of the rhizome of S. japonica by various column chromatography. Its structure was established as 26-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-furost-5-en-3beta, 12, 17alpha, 22xi, 26-pentol-12-O-acetyle-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside by physical and chemical properties and IR, MS, 1D, 2D NMR techniques. It showed strong cytotoxicity against the SPC-A-1 cancer cell lines.