Abstract
Two new triterpenoid saponins, gledistside A (1) and gledistside B (2), isolated from the fruits of Gledistsia dolavayi Franch., were characterized as the 3,28‐O‐bisdesmoside of echinocystic acid acylated with monoterpene carboxylic acids. On the basis of spectroscopic and chemical evidence, their structures were elucidated as 3‐O‐β‐D‐xylopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐α‐L‐arabinopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D‐glucopyranosyl‐28‐O‐β‐D‐xylopyranosyl‐(1→3)‐β‐D‐xylopyranosyl‐(1→4)‐[β‐D‐galactopyranosyl‐(1→2)]‐α‐L‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐{6‐O‐[2,6‐dimethyl‐6(S)‐hydroxy‐2‐trans‐2,7‐octadienoyl]}‐β‐D‐glucopyranosylechinocystic acid (1) and 3‐O‐β‐D‐xylopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐α‐L‐arabinopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D‐glucopyranosyl‐28‐O‐β‐D‐xylopyranosyl‐(1→3)‐β‐D‐xylopyranosyl‐(1→4)‐[β‐D‐galactopyranosyl‐(1→2)]‐α‐L‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→2)‐{6‐O‐[2‐hydroxymethyl‐6‐methyl‐6(S)‐hydroxy‐2‐trans‐2,7‐octadienoyl]}‐β‐D‐glucopyranosylechinocystic acid (2). The complete ^1^H and ^13^C assignments of saponins 1 and 2 were achieved on the basis of 2D NMR spectra including HMQC‐TOCSY, TOCSY, ^1^H–^1^H COSY, HMBC, ROESY and HMQC spectra. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.