Steroidal Saponins from Solanum lyratum Thunb.

Four undescribed steroidal compounds along with twenty known compounds were isolated from n-butanol extracted fraction of the whole plants of Solanum lyratum Thunb (SLNF). Their structures were assigned based on analyses of the extensive spectroscopic data (including MS, 1D/2D NMR, and ECD) or comparisons of the NMR data with those reported. Among the knowns, three compounds were isolated from Solanum plants for the first time, while one compound was isolated from S. lyratum for the first time. In addition, the cytotoxicities of these isolates against human colon SW480 and hepatoma Hep3B cells were evaluated by a MTT assay. And, nine of them and SLNF exhibited significant activities against both SW480 and Hep3B cells, while twelve of them significantly inhibited the activities of SW480 cells. This study allows for the exploitation of chemical markers with potential significance in discrimination of Solanum plants, and uncovers the diverse steroidal constituents from S. lyratum dedicated for its future application in cancer treatment.