Two previously undescribed steroidal alkaloids, compounds 1-2, along with two known ones(3-4), were isolated from the 80% ethanol extract of ripe berries of Solanum nigrum by chromatographic methods, including silica gel, ODS, and HPLC. Based on spectroscopic and chemical evidence, including IR, NMR, and HR-ESI-MS data, the structures of the isolated compounds were identified as 12β,27-dihydroxy solasodine-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(1), 27-hydroxy solasodine-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)]-β-D-glucopyranoside(2), solalyraine A(3), and 12β,27-dihydroxy solasodine(4). Compounds 1-2 were tested for their potential effects against the proliferation of A549 cells, which revealed that compounds 1-2 had weak cytotoxic activity.
Keywords: Solanum nigrum; antitumor activity; chemical constituent; steroidal alkaloid.