Isolation of chavibetol from essential oil of Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus leaf by high-speed counter-current chromatography

Counter-current chromatography (CCC) was used to isolate chavibetol from the essential oil of leaves of Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus (Gomes) Landrum. Chavibetol was obtained in high purity (98%) and mass recovery (94.4%). Methyleugenol was also isolated. The CCC biphasic solvent system used was composed of hexane:n-butanol:methanol:water (12:4:4:3, v/v/v/v).     

Two-dimensional counter-current chromatography: 1st traditional counter-current chromatography, 2nd acid-base elution counter-current chromatography

An on-line column-switching counter-current chromatography (CCC) with solid-phase trapping interphase is presented in this paper. The large volume injection is avoided using solid-phase trapping interphase. Thereby, totally different chemical composition biphasic solvent system can be utilized to enhance system orthogonality. In the present work, a 140 mL-capacity CCC instrument was used in the first dimension, and a parallel three-coil CCC centrifuge (40 mL each coil) was used in the second dimensional separation allowing three injections at the same time. With biphasic solvent system composed of n-hexane: ethyl acetate: methanol: water (1:1:1:1, v/v), five well-separated fractions were obtained in the first dimension. Two fractions were online concentrated and further separated in the second dimension with solvent system composed of methyl tert-butyl ether: acetonitrile: water (2:2:3, v/v), where trifluoroacetic acid (10 mM) was added to the upper organic phase as a retainer and triethylamine (10mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. Four hydroxyanthraquinones were successfully separated and purified from Chinese medicinal plant Rheum officinale in only one step.     

Flow rate gradient high-speed counter-current chromatography separation of five diterpenoids from Triperygium wilfordii and scale-up

In this paper, high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) instruments with different gravitational forces were applied for the separation of bioactive compounds from Triperygium wilfordii Hook.f. The critical parameters including sample concentration, sample volume and flow rate were first optimized on an analytical Mini-DE HSCCC system, and then scaled up to a preparative TBE 300A HSCCC system. Although this scale-up process was performed using different CCC instruments with different centrifuges and gravitational forces, the same resolutions were obtained and the elution time could be predictable. Five diterpenoid compounds and one unknown compound were separated from Triperygium wilfordii Hook.f. by HSCCC with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (HEMW) (3:2:3:2, v/v/v/v). This one-step flow gradient separation produced triptonide (25 mg), isoneotriptophenolide (77 mg), hypolide (83 mg), unknown compound (1 mg), triptophenolide (42 mg), triptonoterpene methyl ether VI (37 mg) from 320 mg crude extract with purities of 98.2%, 96.6%, 98.1%, 95.3%, 95.1%, and 96.5%, respectively. Their purities and structures were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and NMR. This paper demonstrates that analytical CCC plays an important role in optimizing parameters and scale-up process when analytical CCC and preparative CCC are supplied by different manufacturers with different gravitational forces, and the scale-up process from analytical CCC to preparative CCC is still predictable.     

Isolation and purification of antioxidative isomeric polyphenols from the roots of Parthenocissus laetevirens by counter-current chromatography

Upright counter-current chromatography (CCC) with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:2:1:2, v/v/v/v) was applied to the isolation and purification of polyphenols from the roots of Parthenocissus laetevirens. Two cis-trans isomeric resveratrol dimers - quadrangularin A and parthenocissin A - were obtained from the crude sample in a one-step separation, with purities of 95.4 and 97.6%, respectively, as determined by HPLC. The structures of these two compounds were identified by (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR. Furthermore, their antioxidant activities were determined by beta-carotene bleaching assay. The antioxidant activities of quadrangularin A and parthenocissin A were higher than that of vitamin C in this model.     

Isolation and purification of oridonin from Rabdosia rubescens using upright counter-current chromatography

A preparative counter-current chromatography (CCC) method for isolation and purification of oridonin, a new cancer chemoprevention agent, from the Chinese medicinal plant Rabdosia rubescens was successfully established. The crude oridonin was obtained by elution with a light petroleum/acetone solvent mixture from ethanol extracts of R. rubescens using column chromatography on silica gel. With a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1:2:1:2, v/v), 120 mg of oridonin at the purity of 97.8% was obtained from 200 mg of the crude sample in a single-step CCC separation. The structure of oridonin was identified by ESI-MS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR.     

Preparative isolation and purification of celastrol from Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. by a new counter-current chromatography method with an upright coil planet centrifuge

A new counter-current chromatography (CCC) method with an upright coil planet centrifuge, which holds four identical multilayer coil columns in the symmetrical positions around the centrifuge axis, was applied to the isolation and purification of celastrol from the roots of Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. The crude celastrol was obtained by elution with light petroleum from ethanol extracts using 15 cm x 5 cm i.d. silica gel flash chromatography. Preparative CCC with a two-phase system composed of light petroleum (bp 60-90 degrees C)-ethyl acetate-tetrachloromethane-methanol-water (1:1:8:6:1, v/v) was successfully performed, yielding 798 mg celastrol at 99.5% purity from 1020 mg of the crude sample in one step separation.     

Isolation of quercetin-3-O-L-rhamnoside from Acer truncatum Bunge by high-speed counter-current chromatography

Preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used for isolation and purification of quercetin-3-O-L-rhamnoside from the ethyl acetate extract of the leaves of Acer truncatum Bunge using a two-phase-system composed of ethyl acetate-ethanol-water at a volume ratio of 5:1:5 (v/v/v). In a single operation, 41.9mg of quercetin-3-O-L-rhamnoside was obtained from 366mg of the crude extract. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses of the CCC fraction revealed that the purity of quercetin-3-O-L-rhamnoside was over 96%. Its structure was identified by MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. Quercetin-3-O-L-rhamnoside was obtained from this plant for the first time.     

Preparative isolation of novel antioxidant flavonoids of alfalfa by stop-and-go counter-current chromatography and following on-line liquid chromatography desalination

In this work, we have established a new stop-and-go two-dimensional chromatography coupling of counter-current chromatography and liquid chromatography (2D CCC × LC) for the preparative separation of two novel antioxidant flavonoids from the extract of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The CCC column has been used as the first dimension to purify the target flavonoids using a solvent system of isopropanol and 20% sodium chloride aqueous solution (1:1, v/v) with the stop-and-go flow technique, and the LC column packed with macroporous resin has been employed as the second dimension for on-line absorption, desalination and desorption of the targeting effluents purified from the first CCC dimension. As a result, two novel flavonoids, 6,8-dihydroxy-flavone-7-O-β-D-glucuronide (15.3 mg) and 6-methoxy-8-hydroxy-flavone-7-O-β-D-glucuronide (13.7 mg), have been isolated from 126.8 mg of crude sample pre-enriched by macroporous resin column. Their structures have been identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) and one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (1D and 2D NMR). Further antioxidant assays showed that the first component possess a strong antioxidant activity. All the results demonstrated that the stop-and-go 2D CCC × LC method is very efficient for the separation of flavonoids of alfalfa and it can also be applied to isolate other comprehensive multi-component natural products.     

Application of preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography for separation of methyl gallate from Acer truncatum Bunge

Preparative separation of methyl gallate in leaves extract of Acer truncatum Bunge was conducted using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) with a solvent system composed of ethyl acetate-ethanol-water at volume ratios of 5:1:5 (v/v/v). In a single operation, 57.5 mg of methyl gallate was obtained from 120 mg of the extract. HPLC analyses of the counter-current chromatography (CCC) fraction revealed that the methyl gallate was having over 97% purity. Its structure was identified by 1H NMR and 13C NMR.     

Separation and purification of isorhamnetin 3-sulphate from Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze by counter-current chromatography comparing two kinds of solvent systems

The first preparative separation of a flavonoid sulphate isorhamnetin 3-sulphate from Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze by counter-current chromatography (CCC) was presented. Two kinds of solvent systems were used. A conventional organic/aqueous solvent system n-butanol-ethyl acetate-water (4:1:5, v/v) was used, yielding isorhamnetin 3-sulphate 2.0 mg with a purity of 93.4% from 83 mg of pre-enriched crude extract obtained from 553 mg ethanol extract by macroporous resin. A one-component organic/salt-containing system composed of n-butanol-0.25% sodium chloride aqueous solution (1:1, v/v) was also used, and the LC column packed with macroporous resin has been employed for desalination of the target compound purified from CCC. As a result, 2.1 mg of isorhamnetin 3-sulphate with a purity of over 97% has been isolated from 402 mg of crude extract without pre-enrichment. Compared with the conventional organic/aqueous system, the one-component organic/salt-containing aqueous system was more suitable for the separation of isorhamnetin 3-sulphate, and purer target compound was obtained from the crude extract without pre-enrichment using the new solvent system. The chemical structure was confirmed by ESI-MS and (1)H, (13)C NMR. In summary, our results indicated that CCC using one-component organic/salt-containing aqueous solution is very promising and powerful for high-throughput purification of isorhamnetin 3-sulphate from Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze.     

Preparative isolation and purification of amides from the fruits of Piper longum L. by upright counter-current chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A versatile counter-current chromatography (CCC) with upright type-J multilayer coil planet centrifuge, named upright CCC, was applied to the isolation and purification of amides from Piper longum L., which is widely used as an anodyne and a treatment for stomach disease in China. After the saponification by KOH of the ethanol extracts solution of 15 kg of crude drug "Piper Longi Fructus", the fruits of P. longum L., the solution was extracted with light petroleum and 500 g of red crude oil was obtained. Using 2.5 g of red crude oil as sample, the preparative upright CCC with a two-phase system composed of light petroleum (bp 60-90 degrees C)-ethyl acetate-tetrachloromethane-methanol-water (1:1:8:6:1, v/v) was successfully performed, which yielded nine fractions. Then these fractions were further purified by use of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) with a glass column of 500 x 10 mm i.d. packed with reversed-phase silica gel. As a result, nine target amides with over 95% purity, i.e., 50 mg of (2E,4E)-N-isobutyl-eicosa-2,4-dienamide, 150 mg of (2E,4E,14Z)-N-isobutyl-eicosa-2,4,14-trienamide, 110 mg of (2E,4E,12Z)-N-isobutyl-ocatadeca-2,4,12-trienamide, 50 mg of guineensine, 60 mg of pipernonaline, 75 mg of pellitorine, 63 mg of piperine, 45 mg of piperanine, and 40 mg of piperlonguminine were isolated, respectively. Structures of all compounds were identified by electrospray ionization MS, electron impact ionization MS, one- and two-dimensional NMR spectra.     

Preparative isolation and purification of senkyunolide-I, senkyunolide-H and ferulic acid from Rhizoma Chuanxiong using counter-current chromatography

Three active compounds, senkyunolide-I, senkyunolide-H and ferulic acid (FA), were successfully isolated and purified from the extracts of Rhizoma Chuanxiong by counter-current chromatography (CCC). Based on the principle of the partition coefficient values (k) for target compounds and the separation factor (α) between target compounds, the two-phase solvent system that contains n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water at an optimized volume ratio of 3:7:4:6 v/v was selected for the CCC separation, and the lower phase was employed as the mobile phase in the head-to-tail elution mode. In a single run, 400 mg of the crude extract yielded pure senkyunolide-I (6.4 mg), senkyunolide-H (1.7 mg) and FA (4.4 mg) with the purities of 98, 93 and 99%, respectively. The CCC fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the structures of the three active compounds were identified by MS and (1)H NMR.     

Preparative separation of anti‐oxidative constituents from Rubia cordifolia by column‐switching counter‐current chromatography

An effective column‐switching counter‐current chromatography (CCC) protocol combining stepwise elution mode was successfully developed for simultaneous and preparative separation of anti‐oxidative components from ethyl acetate extract of traditional Chinese herbal medicine Rubia cordifolia. The column‐switching CCC system was interfaced by a commercial low‐pressure six‐port switching valve equipped with a sample loop, allowing large volume introduction from the first dimension (1^st‐D) to the second dimension (2^nd‐D). Moreover, to extend the polarity window, three biphasic liquid systems composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1:2:1:2, 2:3:2:3, 5:6:5:6 v/v) were employed using stepwise elution mode in the 1^st‐D. By valve switching technique the whole interested region of 1^st‐D could be introduced to second dimension for further separation with the solvent system 5:5:4:6 v/v. Using the present column‐switching CCC protocol, 500 mg of crude R. cordifolia extract were separated, producing milligram‐amounts of four anti‐oxidative components over 90% pure. Structures of purified compounds were identified by ¹H and ¹³C NMR.     

Separation of chlorogenic acid and concentration of trace caffeic acid from natural products by pH‐zone‐refining countercurrent chromatography

Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were selected as test samples for separation by the pH‐zone‐refining countercurrent chromatography (CCC). The separation of these test samples was performed with a two‐phase solvent system composed of methyl‐tert‐butyl‐ether/acetonitrile/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:5 v/v/v where trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; 8 mM) was added to the organic stationary phase as a retainer and NH₄OH (10 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. Chlorogenic acid was successfully separated from Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze (F. bidentis) and Lonicerae Flos by pH‐zone‐refining CCC, a slightly polar two‐phase solvent system composed of methyl‐tert‐butyl‐ether/acetonitrile/n‐butanol/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:1:5 v/v/v/v was selected where TFA (3 mM) was added to the organic stationary phase as a retainer and NH₄OH (3 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. A 16.2 mg amount of chlorogenic acid with the purity of 92% from 1.4 g of F. bidentis, and 134 mg of chlorogenic acid at the purity of 99% from 1.3 g of crude extract of Lonicerae Flos have been obtained. These results suggest that pH‐zone‐refining CCC is suitable for the isolation of the chlorogenic acid from the crude extracts of F. bidentis and Lonicerae Flos.     

Preparative enantioseparation of propafenone by counter‐current chromatography using di‐n‐butyl l‐tartrate combined with boric acid as the chiral selector

This paper extends the research of the utilization of borate coordination complexes in chiral separation by counter‐current chromatography (CCC). Racemic propafenone was successfully enantioseparated by CCC with di‐n‐butyl l ‐tartrate combined with boric acid as the chiral selector. The two‐phase solvent system was composed of chloroform/ 0.05 mol/L acetate buffer pH 3.4 containing 0.10 mol/L boric acid (1:1, v/v), in which 0.10 mol/L di‐n‐butyl l ‐tartrate was added in the organic phase. The influence of factors in the enantioseparation of propafenone were investigated and optimized. A total of 92 mg of racemic propafenone was completely enantioseparated using high‐speed CCC in a single run, yielding 40–42 mg of (R)‐ and (S)‐propafenone enantiomers with an HPLC purity over 90–95%. The recovery for propafenone enantiomers from fractions of CCC was in the range of 85–90%.     

Two-dimensional counter-current chromatography for the preparative separation of prenylflavonoids from Artocarpus altilis

A two-dimensional counter-current chromatographic system (2D-CCC) for preparative isolation and purification of three prenylflavonoids from Artocarpus altilis is presented. An upright CCC instrument (CCC1, total capacity: 1600 ml) was used as the first dimension. Effluent of interest from CCC1 was collected on-line into a 30 ml sample loop by a laboratory-prepared column-switching interface and introduced into a high-speed CCC instrument (CCC2, total capacity: 210 ml) for the second dimension separation. With this 2D-CCC system and a pair of two-phase solvent systems composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (5:5:7:3 and 5:5:6.5:3.5, v/v/v/v), which had been selected by high-speed CCC, about a 500 mg amount of the crude extract was separated, yielding 9 mg of compound 1, 28 mg of compound 2 and 78 mg of compound 3. The purities of the three prenylflavonoids were 98.7 (1), 98.3 (2) and 97.2% (3), respectively, as determined by HPLC analysis. Their chemical structures were identified by electrospray ionization MS, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR.     

Screening of antioxidant phenolic compounds in Chinese Rhubarb combining fast counter‐current chromatography fractionation and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis

In this paper, an effective method combing fast elution‐extrusion counter‐current chromatography (CCC) and LC/MS for rapid screening of antioxidative phenolic compounds in Chinese Rhubarb is presented. An integrated three‐coil CCC column (40 mL each coil) was used to accomplish the optimization of biphasic liquid system. In a single run (approximately 40 min), the solvent system composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1:1:1:1, v/v) was selected as optimum CCC liquid system for fast fractionation of the crude ethanol extract. With a 140 mL‐capacity CCC instrument, 100 mg Chinese Rhubarb extract was separated under the optimized conditions, producing six fractions in only 100 min. The quantities of each fraction were ～15 mg. In addition, each fraction was subjected to antioxidant activity assay and characterized by LC/MS analysis. Fifty compounds, including phenolic acids, phenolic glucosides and hydroxyanthraquinones, were detected by LC/MS/MS analysis. As a result, gallic acid together with Fr I showed excellent antioxidant activity, which was well consistent with previous studies and exhibited great potential for natural drug discovery program of the present method.     

A simple and efficient protocol for large‐scale preparation of three flavonoids from the flower of Daphne genkwa by combination of macroporous resin and counter‐current chromatography

In this paper, macroporous resin column chromatography and counter‐current chromatography (CCC) were applied for large‐scale preparative separation of three flavonoids from the flower of Daphne genkwa, a famous Chinese medicinal herb. Nine kinds of resins were investigated by adsorption and desorption tests and D101 macroporous resin was selected for the first cleaning‐up, in which 40% aqueous ethanol was used to remove the undesired constituents and 90% aqueous ethanol was used to elute the targets. The crude extract after the first step was directly subjected to the preparative CCC purification using the solvent system composed of n‐hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (4:5:4:5, v/v). The compounds apigemin (823 mg), 3‐hydroxyl‐genkwanin (842 mg) and genkwanin (998 mg) with the purities of 98.79, 97.71 and 93.53%, respectively, determined by HPLC were produced from 3‐g crude extract only in one CCC run. Their chemical structures were identified by MS, UV and the standards.     

A comparative study of upright counter-current chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatograpohy for preparative isolation and purification ofphenolic compounds from Magnoliae officinalis

A comparative study of preparative isolation and purification of the phenolic compounds magnolol and honokiol from the Chinese medicinal plant Magnoliae officinalis by upright counter-current chromatography (CCC) and semi-preparative HPLC is presented. The comparison reveals that with a two-phase solvent system composed of light petroleum (bp 60-90 degrees C)-ethyl acetate-tetrachloromethane-methanol-water (1:1:8:6:1, v/v), 1250 mg of honokiol and 520 mg of magnolol, with a purity of 98.7 and 99.5%, respectively, were obtained from 2.0 g of a crude sample of Magnoliae officinalis in a single CCC separation. In contrast, semi-preparative HPLC allowed isolation and purification of these two phenolic compounds with significantly lower productivity and higher solvent consumption. Structures of the purified compounds were identified by 1H and 13C NMR.     

Preparative counter-current chromatography isolation of liensinine and its analogues from embryo of the seed of Nelumbo nucifera GAERTN. using upright coil planet centrifuge with four multilayer coils connected in series

Preparative counter-current chromatography (CCC) isolation of liensinine and its analogues, isoliensinine and neferine from embryo of the seed of Nelumbo nucifera GAERTN. has been successfully performed for the first time using upright coil planet centrifuge with four multilayer coils connected in series with 1600 mL capacity. Two kinds of two-phase solvent systems were applied to preparative CCC isolation. The first was the system composed of light petroleum (b.p. 60-90 degrees C)-ethyl acetate-tetrachloromethane-chloroform-methanol-water (1:1:4:4:6:2, v/v) which was very suitable for fast and small-scale CCC isolation. The second was the system composed of ethyl acetate-tetrachloromethane-methanol-water (1:6:4:1, v/v), which was the optimum for large-scale CCC isolation. Using the first system, 1102 mg of the crude alkaloid was purified in one-step separation of 150 min, yielding 350 mg neferine, 100 mg isoliensinine and 95 mg liensinine with over 95% purity. While using the second solvent system, 5850 mg of the crude alkaloid was purified in one-step separation of 9 h, yielding 2545 mg neferine, 698 mg isoliensinine and 650 mg liensinine with over 97% purity. Structures of the compounds were identified by electrospray ionization multiple mass spectrometry, one- and two-dimensional NMR.