Fargosides A-E, Triterpenoid Saponins from Holboellia fargesii

The medicinal plant Holboellia fargesii REAUB. (Lardizabalaceae) is a tree which grows in the southwest region of the People’s Republic of China. Its stems, roots, and fruits have been used as folk medicine for the treatment of cough, lumbago, nephritis and abdominal hernia in Yunnan Province. 1,2) However, there has been no previous chemical study of this plant. Preliminary evaluation indicated that H. fargesii contains saponins. The potential medicinal importance and our continuing interest in the chemistry of saponins prompted us to initiate a chemical investigation of this plant. In this paper, we report the isolation and structure elucidation of five new triterpenoid saponins (1—5) from the roots of this species.