Pulsatilla saponin D: the antitumor principle from Pulsatilla koreana.

By bioassay-guided separation, an already known saponin, Pulsatilla saponin D was isolated from the root of Pulsatilla koreana Nakai as a antitumor component when evaluated by in vivo antitumor activity as well as in vitro cytotoxic activity test. It showed potent inhibition rate of tumor growth (IR, 82%) at the dose of 6.4 mg/kg on the BDF1 mice bearing LLC cells.