Bioactive triterpenoid saponins from the tubers of Hemsleya amabilis Diels.

Five new cucurbitane-type triterpenoid saponins Xuedanosides A-E (1-5) were isolated from the medicinal plant Hemsleya amabilis Diels by silica gel column, octadecylsilyl (ODS) column, and pre-HPLC techniques. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis and examined alongside existing data from prior studies. Separated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in HeLa, HCT-8, MCF-7 and HepG2 human cancer cell lines, and compounds 1 and 2 showed significant effects against HeLa cells with IC₅₀ values of 3.21 and 8.57 μM, respectively.