Molluscicidal Saponins from Swartzia madagascariensis DESVAUX

The phytochemical investigation of the dried fruits of Swartzia madagascariensis (Leguminosae) afforded the five triterpenoid saponins 1–5. They were shown to be glucuronides of oleanolic acid and of gypsogenin by chemical and spectral means (FAB-MS, 13C-NMR, GC/MS). One of the isolated compounds, identified as 3-O-[O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-(β-D-glucopyranosyluronic acid)]oleanolic acid, was responsible for the high molluscicidal activity of Swartzia madagascariensis fruits against the schistosomiasis-transmitting snails Biomphalaria glabrata and Bulinus globosus.