Argusides D and E, Two New Cytotoxic Triterpene Glycosides from the Sea Cucumber Bohadschia argus Jaeger

Abstract

Two new triterpene glycosides, argusides D and E ( 1 and 2 , resp.), have been isolated from the sea cucumber Bohadschia argus Jaeger collected in the South China Sea. Their structures have been established by spectral analysis (ESI‐MS, and 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR) and chemical evidence. Compounds 1 and 2 both possess an holostane‐type triterpene aglycone with a C(9)C(11) bond, an OH group at C(12), and tetrasaccharide moieties, but differ in the side chains. The two glycosides exhibited significant cytotoxicities against four human tumor cell lines, A549, HCT‐116, HepG2, and MCF‐7.