Dammarane-type triterpene saponins from the roots of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen and their neuroprotective effects

Abstract

Three undescribed dammarane-type triterpene saponins, 20(S)-sanchirhinoside A7-A9 (1–3), together with seventeen known ones, were isolated from the roots of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen. The chemical structures of the new compounds were determined by HR-MS and NMR experiments along with chemical methods. To the best of our knowledge, compound 1 was the firstly reported fucose-containing triterpene saponin from plants in the genus of Panax. Moreover, the in vitro neuroprotective effects of the isolated compounds were evaluated. Compounds 11–12 displayed remarkable protective effects against PC12 cells injured by 6-hydroxydopamine.