Molluscicidal Saponins from <i>Swartzia madagascariensis</i> D<scp>ESVAUX</scp>

Abstract

Abstract 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 , 13 C‐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 .