Background: Ginsenosides are the major effective ingredients responsible for the pharmacological effects of ginseng. Malonyl ginsenosides are natural ginsenosides that contain a malonyl group attached to a glucose unit of the corresponding neutral ginsenosides.
Methods: Medium-pressure liquid chromatography and semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography were used to isolate purified compounds and their structures determined by extensive one-dimensional- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments.
Results: A new saponin, namely malonyl-ginsenoside Re, was isolated from the fresh flower buds of Panax ginseng, along with malonyl-ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd. Some assignments for previously published (1)H- and (13)C-NMR spectra were found to be inaccurate.
Conclusion: This study reports the complete NMR assignment of malonyl-ginsenoside Re, Rb1, Rb2, Rc, and Rd for the first time.
Keywords: NMR; Panax ginseng; flower buds; ginsenoside; malonyl ginsenoside Re.