Characterization of Steroidal Saponins from Dioscorea villosa and D. cayenensis Using Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is an important edible tuber plant used for medicinal purposes to promote health and longevity in Chinese tradition. Steroidal saponins were reported to be the major physiologically active constituents in yams. In this current work, the structural characteristics of steroidal saponins in methanolic extracts from dried rhizomes of two Dioscorea species (D. villosa L. and D. cayenensis Lam.) and dietary supplements have been identified and analyzed using UHPLC/QTOF-MS in both negative and positive ion modes. The fragmentation patterns of reference standards were determined and the steroidal saponins in the extracts were identified or tentatively characterized from their retention times and mass spectra. The fragments produced by collision-induced dissociation (CID) revealed the characteristic cleavage of glycosidic bonds, and the fragmentation pattern provided structural information about the sugars. Twenty-one saponins, including four tentatively identified compounds, were detected in the crude extracts of two Dioscorea species. These saponins can be used to distinguish D. villosa from D. cayenensis. For example, asperin and gracillin are found only in D. cayenensis, and dioscoreavilloside A and B and parvifloside are only found in D. villosa. This can be used to determine the presence or absence of D. villosa in commercial products, which may help determine the spiking of plant material, and/or prevent the use of potentially mislabeled or misidentified “Dioscorea” material. The analytical method also provided an alternative, fast method for quality control of Dioscorea species in dietary supplements. Principal component analysis showed that Dioscorea species and commercial products were easily distinguished. From this a partial least squares model was constructed to determine what species are in different products.

Evaluation of wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) root extract as a potential epigenetic agent in breast cancer cells

“…Chromatographic profiling (UHPLC-QToF-MS) of the root extract is presented in supplementary Figure 1. The extract consists of ten triterpene saponins compounds (parvifloside,protodeltonin,protodioscin,protobioside,huangjiangsu A,pseudoprotodioscin, deltonin, dioscin, progenin), and only one sapogenin (diosgenin) (Avula et al 2014). WYRE was dissolved in DMSO (10 mg/mL).…”

Human Breast Tumour Cells Viability Effect of African Dioscorea Rotundata Tuber Extracts in McF-7 and Mda-Mb231 Cell Lines

“…In previously reported research work on yam's phytochemicals, it has been proved that tubers contain a glycosidic form of steroidal saponin/sapogenin which can be cleaved by acidification into the sugar moiety and diosgenin. Steroidal extracts from D. villosa, D. floribunda and D. deltoidea are used to derive sapogenin and diosgenin used by pharmaceutical companies in the manufacture of cortisone, and other steroids (12). Edible Dioscorea species; D. rotundata have not been studied for their phytochemical contents and medicinal values which could be immense and impactful (13, 14 and 15).…”

Development and Validation of Sensitive HPLC-UV-DAD Method for Determination of Diosgenin in Plants of Species of Dioscorea Genus

“…7,8 Este metabólito secundário é geralmente encontrado formando saponinas, 9,10 porém, pode estar presente em forma livre. [11][12][13] A diosgenina é a principal matéria-prima utilizada para síntese de diversos hormônios esteroidais na indústria farmacêutica (Figura 1) e, a partir dela são sintetizados hormônios sexuais: testosterona (2), um hormônio masculino, e; mestranol (3), estradiol (4) e progesterona (5), entre outros hormônios femininos, os quais são usados em terapias de reposição hormonal e contraceptivos. 14 Além disso, é possível sintetizar também hidrocortisona (6), usada no tratamento de doenças inflamatórias 15 e insuficiências adrenocorticais.…”