LAUSR

In continuation of studies of cycloartane-type triterpenoids from plants of the genus Astragalus, we studied the chemical composition of roots of A. turczaninowii Kar. & Kir. Cycloartane-type compounds exhibit several types of pharmacological activity. Plants of the genus Astragalus are used in folk medicine to treat cardiovascular diseases. Extracts of this plant possessed cardioprotective and antihypertensive effects and reduced the risk of hypertrophic cardiac arrest. Experiments showed that cycloartane glycosides improved morphological and functional parameters with myocardial hypertrophy [1]. Herein, steroids and glycosides isolated from A. turczaninowii collected during flowering in May 2011 in the central part of Kyzylkum desert (Kuljuktau), Bukhara Region, Republic of Uzbekistan, were described. Ground air-dried roots (302 g) were exhaustively extracted with MeOH (5 3 L). The extracts were evaporated. The dry residues were combined to produce dry MeOH extract (41 g, 13.5% of air-dried raw-material mass). The extract was worked up as before [2] to give purified total extracted compounds (23 g). Chromatography of them over a column of silica gel using CHCl3–MeOH (50:1) isolated -sitosterol (45 mg, 0.015%, mp 130–132°C) and steroid 2 (50 mg, 0.016%) as a white powder. Its PMR and 13C NMR spectra and mp (163–165°C, MeOH) were identical to those of stigmasterol [3]. Continued elution of the column with CHCl3–MeOH (20:1) isolated genin 3. Its IR (absorption band at 3045 cm –1