Abstract
Molecular diversity was generated by hydrolyzing the crude root saponins of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen under mild acidic condition (AcOH/EtOH 1 : 1). From the acid hydrolysate, five new dammarane glycosides, named notoginsenoside T~1~ (=(3__β__,6__α__,12__β__,20__E__,23__RS__)‐24,25‐epoxy‐6‐[(β‐D‐glucopyranosyl)oxy]‐dammar‐20(22)‐ene‐3,12,23‐triol; 1), notoginsenoside T~2~ (=(3__β__,6__α__,12__β__,20__E__,23__RS__)‐24,25‐epoxy‐6‐[(β‐D‐glucopyranosyl)oxy]‐23‐methoxydammar‐20(22)‐ene‐3,12‐diol; 2), notoginsenoside T~3~ (=(3__β__,6__α__,12__β__,20__S__)‐6‐[(β‐D‐glucopyranosyl)oxy]‐20‐ethoxydammar‐24‐ene‐3,12‐diol; 3), notoginsenoside T~4~ (=(3__β__,6__α__,12__β__,20__S__,22__E__,24__RS__)‐6‐[(β‐D‐glucopyranosyl)oxy]dammar‐22‐ene‐3,12,20,24,25‐pentol; 4), and notoginsenoside T~5~ (=(3__β__,6__α__,12__β__, 24__E__)‐6‐[(β‐D‐xylopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐β‐D‐glucopyranosyl)oxy]dammara‐20(21),24‐diene‐3,12‐diol; 5), were isolated, together with 15 known dammarane glycosides, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Among the known compounds, ginsenosides Rg~3~ and Rh~1~ were isolated as major constituents, in addition to ginsenosides Rg~5~, Rh~4~, and a mixture of (20__R__)‐ and (20__S__)‐25‐hydroxyginsenoside Rh~1~, all of which were obtained from P. notoginseng for the first time.