Two new triterpenoid saponins derived from the leaves of and their antiinflammatory activity.

Background: The leaves and roots of are rich in ginsenosides. However, the chemical compositions of the leaves and roots of . differ, resulting in different medicinal functions. In recent years, the aerial parts of members of the genus have received great attention from natural product chemists as producers of bioactive ginsenosides. The aim of this study was the isolation and structural elucidation of novel, minor ginsenosides in the leaves of . and evaluation of their antiinflammatory activity .

Methods: Various chromatographic techniques were applied to obtain pure individual compounds, and their structures were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as chemical methods. The antiinflammatory effect of the new compounds was evaluated on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells.

Results And Conclusions: Two novel, minor triterpenoid saponins, ginsenoside LS () and 5,6-didehydroginsenoside Rg (), were isolated from the leaves of . . The isolated compounds and were assayed for their inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and Compound showed a significant inhibitory effect with IC of 37.38 μM compared with that of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (IC = 90.76 μM). Moreover, Compound significantly decreased secretion of cytokines such as prostaglandin E and tumor necrosis factor-. In addition, Compound significantly suppressed protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. These results suggested that Compound could be used as a valuable candidate for medicinal use or functional food, and the mechanism is warranted for further exploration.