Abstract: Triterpene saponins were widely distributed in the oriental traditional crude drugs, which play important roles as anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antihepatitis agent. For example, from Ginseng Radix, Bupleuri Radix, Polygalae Radix, Platycodi Radix etc, many bioactive and available triterpene saponins were obtained and they could explain the effect of the crude drug. However metabolic transformation of triterpene saponin in vivo have not been reported. We studied the metabolism of reinioside C, a triterpene saponin from the roots of Polygala fallax Hemsl in rats. After oral administration of reinioside C, seven metabolites(RA-RG) of reinioside Cwere obtained from the content of large intestin and feces. The structures of metabolites were elucidated as 28-O-α Lrhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-(3,4 diacetyl)-β-Dfucopyranosyl presenegin, 28-O-β-Dxylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-Lrhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-(3,4 diacetyl)-β-Dfucopyranosyl presenegin, 28-O-α-Lrhamnopyranosyl-(1→2) (3,4-diacetyl)-β-Dfucopyranosyl presenegin₃ O-β-Dglucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-Dglucopy ranoside, 28-O-β-Dxylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-Lrhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fucopyranosyl presenegin 3-O-β-Dglucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-Dglucopyranoside, 28-O-β-Dxylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-Lrhamnopy ranosyl-(1→2)-(3 acetyl)-β-D-fucopyranosyl presenegin-3-O-β-D-glu copyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside, 28-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-Lrhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-(4 acetyl)-β-D-fucopyranosyl pre senegin₃ O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-Dglucopyranoside, 28-O-β-D-fucopyranosyl presenegin, respectively, on the basis of spectroscopic data.

Key words: Reinioside C, Triterpene saponin, Polygala fallax, Metabolite