Protodioscin is a furostanol glycoside that consists of the trisaccharide alpha-L-Rha-(14)-[alpha-L-Rha-(12)]-beta-D-Glc attached to position 3 of 26-(beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-3beta,22-dihydroxyfurost-5-ene via a glycosidic linkage. Found in several plant species including yams, asparagus and funugreek. It has a role as an antineoplastic agent, an antilipemic drug, a neuroprotective agent, an anti-inflammatory agent, an apoptosis inducer and a plant metabolite. It is a beta-D-glucoside, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, a cyclic hemiketal, a steroid saponin and a trisaccharide derivative. It derives from a hydride of a furostan.
