Digitalis Saponins. III. Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Leaf Saponins of Digitalis purpurea L.

Abstract

Saponin (II) (a mixture of polar oligosides), the major component of the leaf saponins of Digitalis purpurea L., was found to be enzymatically cleaved to yield solely the minor component, saponin (I) (a mixture of two tetraglycosides, desgalactotigonin and F-gitonin). Saponin (I), subsequently the component two tetraglycosides, were conveniently prepared from the crude leaf saponins precipitated by cholesterol and more efficiently from the butanol extract of the leaves by the specific partial hydrolysis of saponin (II) with some commercial enzyme preparations.