title: Fingerprinting of strong spermatogenesis steroidal saponins in male flowers of Phoenix dactylifera (Date Palm) by LC-ESI-MS.
abstract: A fingerprint of steroid saponins, the major constituent in 80% methanolic fraction from the male flowers of Phoenix dactylifera has been established. Under ESI-MS/MS conditions, the fragmentation patterns of [M - H]-ions exclusively displayed signals corresponding to the cleavage of the glycosidic bonds, thus allowing a rapid identification of 21 steroidal saponins. Moreover, two unique among them conjugated with histidine were detected by LC-ESI (-)-MS and DFT and were given tentative names of 3-o-histidine-26-o-hexosyl-dioscin and 3-o-histidine-26-o-dihexosyl-hydroxydioscin. Their steroidal saponins exhibited a significant improvement of the sperm cells count, motility and viability in male rats. These effects could be attributed to enhancing the levels of sex hormones.
authors.affiliation: a Phytochemistry Laboratory, Department of Botany , Faculty of Science , Aswan University , Aswan , Egypt.|b Department of Chemistry , College of Science & Arts at Al-Rass, Qassim University , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.|f Department of Biochemistry and Crop Quality , Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute , Pulawy , Poland.
authors.forename: Arafa I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Hamed
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , College of Science & Arts at Al-Rass, Qassim University , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.|c Research Unity of Physical Condensed Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences , University Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia.
authors.forename: Ridha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ben Said
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , College of Science & Arts at Al-Rass, Qassim University , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdullah S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Al-Ayed
authors.affiliation: f Department of Biochemistry and Crop Quality , Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute , Pulawy , Poland.
authors.forename: Jaroslaw
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moldoch
authors.affiliation: a Phytochemistry Laboratory, Department of Botany , Faculty of Science , Aswan University , Aswan , Egypt.|e Biology Department , College of Science, Al-Jouf University , Al-Jouf , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Usama A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Mahalel
authors.affiliation: d Physiology Division, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science , Beni-Suef University , Egypt.
authors.forename: Ayman M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.affiliation: e Biology Department , College of Science, Al-Jouf University , Al-Jouf , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hassan A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Elgebaly
authors.affiliation: f Department of Biochemistry and Crop Quality , Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute , Pulawy , Poland.|g Área Productos Químicos, Unidad de Desarrollo Tecnológico (UDT) , Universidad de Concepción , Bío Bío , Chile.
authors.forename: Andy J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: f Department of Biochemistry and Crop Quality , Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute , Pulawy , Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stochmal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D065749:Phoeniceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012503:Saponins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013076:Sperm Count; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects; D013256:Steroids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D012503:Saponins; D013256:Steroids
keywords: DFT; Male flowers; ion trap mass spectrometer; spermatogenesis; steroidal saponins