Chemistry and Antioxidative Activity of Lignan Glucosides in Sesame Seed

Novel lipid-soluble lignans, sesamolinol, sesaminol and pinoresinol were isolated from sesame seed. While the quantity of these lignans was small, most of these lignans were found to exist as glucosides in sesame seed. Three novel lignan glucosides were isolated as the water-soluble antioxidative components from the 80% ethanol extracts of sesame seed. Their structures have been confirmed by instrumental analysis as pinoresinol 4′- O -β- D -glucopyranosyl(l→6)-β- D -glucopyranoside (KP1), pinoresinol 4′- O -β- D -glucopyranosyl-(l→2)-β- D -glucopyranoside (KP2), and the lignan triglucoside pinoresinol 4′- O -β- D -glucopyranosyl(l→2)- O -[β- D -glucopyranosyl- (l→6)]-β- D -glucopyranoside (KP3). These lignan glucosides have unique glucosidic linkages, in particular KP3, which has branched (1→2)-and (l→6)-linkages. Chemistry and antioxidative activity of lignan glucosides using several in vitro systems are discussed.