252Cf plasma desorption mass spectrometric study of interactions of steroid glycosides with amino acids.

252Cf Plasma desorption with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-PDMS) has been applied to comparative studies of the interactions of steroid glycosides (SGs) of the spirostan series with amino acids. SGs can interact with amino acids to form heteroclusters of the type [SG + aminoacid + H](+) and [SG + aminoacid + K](+). It is shown how the affinity of SGs for amino acids depends on the structures of both the SG carbohydrate chain and the SG aglycone, and on the nature of the amino acid side chain.

Triterpene and steroid saponins isolated from two Melilotus species.

Four new triterpene saponins of the oleanan series-melilotosides I, II, III, IV and nonglycosylated soyasapogenol B have been isolated from roots of Melilotus albus Medik. (Leguminosae) and four steroid saponins were isolated from M. tauricus (Bieb.

A chemical study on the steroidal glycosides from Atropa belladonna L. seeds.

Eight steroidal glycosides of the spirostane type tentatively named atroposides A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H (according to their increase in polarity) have been isolated from the methanolic extract of Atropa belladonna L. seeds by Sephadex gel filtration and column chromatography on silica gel impregnated with AgNO3. The structure of atroposides A, C, E, G has been elucidated as 3-O-alpha-D-galactopyranoside; 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-galactopyranoside; 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->2) -beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-galactopyranoside; and 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->4)-beta-D-galactopyranoside, each of (25R)-5 alpha-spirostane-3 beta-ol, respectively.

Chemistry and biological activity of steroid saponins from Moldovian plants.

The main point is that these glycosides which act as bioregulators differ fundamentally from produces currently used in agriculture: all of them are natural products causing neither environmental pollution nor any damage to useful organisms. Their rates of application are milligrams per hectare instead of kilograms and tons of chemicals traditionally used in agriculture. Also, the glycoside bioregulators are very inexpensive products, being recovered from wastes of canning and pharmaceutical industries.

Steroidal glycosides from Petunia hybrida L. seeds and their biological activity.

A new plant source containing steroidal glycosides of the furostane and spirostane series has been shown. Ten individual steroidal glycosides (petuniosides) of the spirostane and furostane series have been isolated from Petunia hybrida L. seeds.

Steroidal glycosides from Nicotiana tabacum L. seeds and their biological activity.

Steroidal glycosides of the spirostane and furostane series have been isolated from the methanolic extract of Nicotiana tabacum L. seeds by using gel filtration on silica gel and chromatography on a silica gel column. They were tentatively named nicotianosides A (1), B (2), C (3), D (4), E (5), F (6), and G (7).

[Specific binding of cholesterol by enterosorbents].

Soluble polymers, modified by steroid glycosides digitonine or tomatonine (the "enterosorbents") bound cholesterol dissolved in alcohol. Rates of the binding depend on amount of the glycosides introduced into the sorbent. The digitonine or tomatonine enterosorbents decreased the cholesterol content in blood serum of hypercholesterolemic rats after per oral administration.

[Structural traits of the antioxidant and fungicidal activity of steroid glycosides].

To investigate the origin of antioxidant and antifungal properties of steroid glycosides (SG), a logico-structural analysis of the structure-activity relationships has been performed for 70 compounds using a set of computer programs STRAC. The following structural features responsible for antioxidant activity are revealed: 1) furostanol type of aglycon; 2) the presence of more than 4 branched monosaccharides in the carbohydrate chain; 3) the presence of glucose at C26 and OH-groups in the genin part of SG. Most characteristic for antifungal activity is the fragment genin-C3-Gal-Glc-Glc-Rha.