Three new furostanol saponins from the leaves of Lycianthes synanthera ("Chomte"), an edible Mesoamerican plant.

Three new furostanol oligoglycosides, 3-O-{alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl}-26-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-22alpha-methoxy-25R-furost-5-ene-3beta,17alpha,26-triol (1), 3-O-{alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl}-26-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylfurost-5-ene-3beta,17alpha,22alpha,25,26-pentol (2), and 3-O-{alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl}-26-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylfurost-5-ene-3beta,22alpha,25,26-tetrol (3), named lycianthosides A-C, together with known flavone glycosides were isolated from Lycianthes synanthera leaves, an edible plant of the Solanaceae family that grows naturally in Guatemala. The nutrient composition of the raw leaves was also evaluated.