Saponins from the Callus Mass of Phytolacca americana

Strong anti-inflammatory saponins Phytolacca americana (Phytolaccaceae) wereobtained from callus mass derived from the stems and also from that derived from the roots of cultivated Phytolacca americana (which were designated as PAS and PAR, respectively). The callus were grown on Linsmair and Skoog's agar medium supplemented with 1ppm OF 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Phytol accoside B and D were obtained from PAS and phytolaccoside A and B from PAR. The thin layer chromatograms of the crude saponins from PAS and PAR were similar to those of original plants. PAS contained phytolaccoside B as a major component while phytolaccoside E was a major saponin in original plants.