Rapid isolation of new furostanol saponins from fenugreek seeds based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry method was established to rapidly identify and guide the isolation of target saponins from fenugreek seeds. Based on the online screening performance, totally forty-six furostanol saponins were detected and elucidated. Among them, twenty compounds were predicted to be new. To rapidly obtain new furostanol saponins from these seeds, a further phytochemical study was carried out under the guidance of the ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Finally, six new furostanol saponins, named as trigoneosides XIV (1), XV (2), XVI (3), XVIIa (4), XVIIb (5), and XIV (6), together with one known furostanol saponin, parvifloside (7), were rapidly obtained, and their definitive structures were determined by NMR and chemical evidence.