title: Rat growth-hormone release stimulators from fenugreek seeds.
abstract: Bioassay-guided fractionation of MeOH extract from fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seeds resulted in the isolation of two rat growth-hormone release stimulators in vitro, fenugreek saponin I (1) and dioscin (9), along with two new, i.e., 2 and 3, and five known analogues, i.e., 4-8. The structures of the new steroidal saponins, fenugreek saponins I, II, and III (1-3, resp.), were determined as gitogenin 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, sarsasapogenin 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and gitogenin 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, respectively. Fenugreek saponin I (1) and dioscin (9) caused ca. 12.5- and 17.7-fold stimulation of release, respectively, of rat growth hormone from rat pituitary cells, whereas gitogenin (5) showed moderate activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that steroidal saponins stimulate rat growth-hormone release in rat pituitary cells.
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Eun Ju
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ju Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sam Sik
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyekyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Ho Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chungsook
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Je-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kun Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Son
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D029910:Trigonella / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D013006:Growth Hormone