Anti-leukemia steroidal saponins from Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis

From the rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz., five novel steroidal saponins (Polyphyllozsides A-E, 1-5) and four known steroidal saponins (6-9) were isolated. The biological activities of the nine compounds against human hematologic malignancy cell lines (U-937, THP-1 and Jurkat) was evaluated using a cytotoxicity assay. The results demonstrated that compound 9 significantly inhibited the proliferation of Jurkat cells, with an IC₅₀ value of 0.25 ± 0.03 μM. Compound 9 likely induces tumor cell apoptosis and inhibits cell cycle progression via targeting the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway, providing critical molecular evidence for the development of target-specific anti-leukemia therapeutics.