Isolation and purification of flavonoid glycosides from Trollius ledebouri using high-speed counter-current chromatography by stepwise increasing the flow-rate of the mobile phase

Three flavonoid glycosides including orientin, vitexin, quercetin-3-O-neohesperidoside and one unknown compound were isolated and purified by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and semi-preparative HPLC from Trollius ledebouri Reichb., a traditional Chinese medicine. Preparative HSCCC with a two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate-n-butanol-water (2:1:3, v/v/v) was successfully performed by increasing the flow-rate of the mobile phase from 1.5 to 2.5 ml/min after 190 min. Consequently, 95.8 mg orientin, 11.6 mg vitexin, 9.3 mg unknown compound with purities of over 97% and one partially purified peak fraction (contained quercetin-3-O-neohesperidoside at 85.1% purity) were obtained from 500 mg of the crude extract. Then the partially purified fraction was further purified by reversed-phase semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The structure identification of all pure fractions was carried out by UV, MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR.     

Separation of proanthocyanidins isolated from tea leaves using high-speed counter-current chromatography

The proanthocyanidin extract from tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves was purified for the further study of the biological role of proanthocyanidins in blister blight leaf disease of tea, which is caused by the fungus Exobasidium vexans. An aqueous acetone extract of proanthocyanidins prepared from healthy tea leaves was partially purified using Sephadex LH-20 chromatography. The crude proanthocyanidin extract obtained was fractionated with high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) using the solvent system n-hexane–EtOAc–MeOH–water (1:5:1:5). The purity of the each isolated fraction after a single HSCCC run was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Seven fractions of high purity were isolated. The identity of the compound present in each fraction isolated was established using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Five proanthocyanidins and two flavanol digallates, (−)-epigallocatechin digallate (EGCDG) and (−)-epicatechin digallate (ECDG) were isolated. Comparison of spectral data of the proanthocyanidins isolated with those previously reported indicated that all five were known B-type proanthocyanidins with 2,3-cis stereochemistry in both the upper (u-unit) and the terminal (t-unit) units, and 4R configuration of the C-ring in the u-unit. The proanthocyanidins were established to be dimers composed of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) and (−)-epiafzelechin gallate (EAG) units with the following structures: EGCG-(4β → 6)-EGCG, ECG-(4β → 6)-EGCG, EGCG-(4β → 6)-ECG, EAG-(4β → 6)-EGCG, ECG-(4β → 6)-ECG by analysis of spectral data. Therefore HSCCC offers a powerful method for the separation of a group of closely related naturally occurring compounds.     

Separation of epigallocatechin and flavonoids from Hypericum perforatum L. by high-speed counter-current chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-HPLC) were successively used for the separation of epigallocatechin and flavonoids from Hypericum perforatum L. The two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate–methanol–water (10:1:10, v/v) was used for HSCCC. About 900 mg of the crude extract was separated by HSCCC, yielding 7.8 mg of quercitrin at a purity of over 97%, 12.6 mg of quercetin at a purity of over 93%, and 38.9 mg of a mixture of hyperoside, isoquercitrin and miquelianin constituting over 97% of the fraction. A mixture of epigallocatechin and avicularin pooled from three HSCCC runs, a total amount of 54.3 mg, was further separated by prep-HPLC yielding 23.4 mg of epigallocatechin and 15.3 mg of avicularin each at a purity of over 97%.     

Isolation of antioxidants from Psoralea corylifolia fruits using high-speed counter-current chromatography guided by thin layer chromatography-antioxidant autographic assay

A combinative method using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) as an antioxidant autographic assay was developed to separate antioxidant components from the fruits of Psoralea corylifolia. Under the guidance of TLC bioautography, eight compounds including five flavonoids and three coumarins were successfully separated from the fruits of P. corylifolia by HSCCC with an optimized two-phase solvent system, n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (1:1.1:1.3:1, v/v/v/v). The separation produced 5.91 mg psoralen, 6.26 mg isopsoralen, 3.19 mg psoralidin, 0.92 mg corylifol A, and 2.43 mg bavachinin with corresponding purities of 99.5, 99.8, 99.4, 96.4, and 99.0%, as well as three sub-fractions, in a single run from 250 mg ethyl acetate fraction of P. corylifolia extract. Following an additional clean-up step by preparative TLC, 0.4 mg 8-prenyldaidzein (purity 91.7%), 4.18 mg neobavaisoflavone (purity 97.4%) and 4.36 mg isobavachalcone (purity 96.8%) were separated from the three individual sub-fractions. The structures of the isolated compounds were identified by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. The results of antioxidant activity estimation by electron spin resonance (ESR) method showed that psoralidin was the most active antioxidant with an IC₅₀ value of 44.7 μM. This is the first report on simultaneous separation of eight compounds from P. corylifolia by HSCCC.     

Excellent combination of counter-current chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography to separate galactolipids from pumpkin

Galactolipids in the fruits of Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin) could not be completely separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Preparative HPLC was not available for preparing major galactolipid monomers in pumpkin. In the present paper, a combination of high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and preparative HPLC was used for preparing the galactolipids. A fraction containing galactolipids (Fr60) from the purification of the n-butanol extract of pumpkin by macro-porous resin column chromatography was first separated by HSCCC to result in three sub-fractions of each containing two galactolipid monomers. The three sub-fractions were further separated by preparative HPLC respectively to yield six galactolipid monomers with purity more than 96%. The method is a good one for preparing galactolipid monomers from plant materials for the studies of bioactivities.     

Offline coupling of high-speed counter-current chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry generates a two-dimensional plot of toxaphene components

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC), a separation technique based solely on the partitioning of solutes between two immiscible liquid phases, was applied for the fractionation of technical toxaphene, an organochlorine pesticide which consists of a complex mixture of structurally closely related compounds. A solvent system (n-hexane/methanol/water 34:24:1, v/v/v) was developed which allowed to separate compounds of technical toxaphene (CTTs) with excellent retention of the stationary phase (S_f = 88%). Subsequent analysis of all HSCCC fractions by gas chromatography coupled to electron-capture negative ion mass spectrometry (GC/ECNI-MS) provided a wealth of information regarding separation characteristics of HSCCC and the composition of technical toxaphene. The visualization of the large amount of data obtained from the offline two-dimensional HSCCC–GC/ECNI-MS experiment was facilitated by the creation of a two-dimensional (2D) contour plot. The contour plot not only provided an excellent overview of the HSCCC separation progress, it also illustrated the differences in selectivity between HSCCC and GC. The results of this proof-of-concept study showed that the 2D chromatographic approach involving HSCCC facilitated the separation of CTTs that coelute in unidimensional GC. Furthermore, the creation of 2D contour plots may provide a useful means of enhancing data visualization for other offline two-dimensional separations.     

Separation and identification of water-soluble salvianolic acids from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge by high-speed counter-current chromatography and ESI-MS analysis

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) technique in semi-preparative scale has been applied to separate and purify salvianolic acids from the water extract of Danshen, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. High efficiency HSCCC separation was achieved on a two-phase solvent system composed of a mixture of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-water-methanol (1.5:5:5:1.5, v/v) by eluting the lower mobile phase at a flow-rate of 1.7 ml/min and a revolution of 850 rpm. A total of five well separated peaks were obtained in the HSCCC chromatogram, and their purities determined by HPLC-UV absorption. These peaks were characterized by UV-vis spectra and ESI-MS, and the data compared with the reference standards. Salvianolic acid B was positively identified as one of the major peaks. Three of the remaining four peaks were also tentatively identified as rosmarinic acid, lithospermic acid, and salvianolic acid E, an isomer of salvianolic acid B, all are members of the salvianolic acids group. In a typical run, tens of milligrams of samples can be separated with high efficiency to yield tens of milligrams of purified materials with over 98% purity. HSCCC thus provides a cost-effective alternative to preparative scale HPLC for the semi-preparative scale separation and purification of salvianolic acids in Danshen. With appropriate modifications, the technique should also be applicable to other herbs in general.     

Preparative isolation and purification of cuminaldehyde and p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al from the essential oil of Cuminum cyminum L. by high-speed counter-current chromatography

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) technique in semi-preparative scale was successfully used in isolation and purification of cuminaldehyde and p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al from the essential oil of Cuminum cyminum L. by using a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane–methanol–water (5:4:1, v/v/v). The targeted compounds were isolated, collected, purified by HSCCC in the head–tail mode, and then analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). A total of 12.72 ± 0.22 mg of cuminaldehyde and 10.61 ± 0.27 mg of p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al were obtained from 50 mg of the essential oil of C. cyminum L. in less than 6 h, with purities of 95.42% and 97.21%, respectively. In addition to GC-EI/MS, the identity of the cuminaldehyde was further confirmed with the retention time using the method of standard addition, while, the structural identification of p-menta-1,4-dien-7-al was performed with GC-EI/MS, ¹H NMR and ¹H–¹H COSY.     

Separation and identification of polyphenols in apple pomace by high-speed counter-current chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Apple pomace, a by-product in the processing of apple juice, was investigated as a potential source of polyphenols. Two methods of separation and purification of polyphenols from apple pomace extract were established by combination of gel chromatography with high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and solvent extraction with HSCCC, respectively. The optimal separation was performed on a Sephadex LH-20 column using gradient aqueous ethanol as eluting solvent from 0% to 100% in increments of 10%. HPLC analysis indicated that main polyphenols existed in fractions eluted between 40% and 50% aqueous ethanol. The fractions of interest from column were separated by HSCCC with the solvent system hexane–ethyl acetate–1% aqueous acetic acid (0.5:9.5:10, v/v/v). Ethyl acetate fractionation of the apple pomace extract followed by direct HSCCC separation by the same solvent system in the volume ratio of 1:9:10 also produced a good separation of the main polyphenols of interest. Six high-purity polyphenols were achieved tentatively and identified by HPLC/MS: chlorogenic acid (1, m/z 354), quercetin-3-glucoside/quercetin-3-glacaside (2, m/z 464), quercetin-3-xyloside (3, m/z 434), phloridzin (4, m/z 436), quercetin-3-arabinoside (5, m/z 434), and quercetin-3-rhamnoside (6, m/z 448). These results provided a preliminary foundation for further development and exploration of apple pomace.     

半制备型高速逆流色谱分离制备铁棒锤根中的一种咪唑生物碱

采用高速逆流色谱（HSCCC）技术从铁棒锤根氯仿提取物中分离制备了一种高纯度咪唑类生物碱1H-imidazole-2-carboxylic acid,butyl ester （ICABE）。采用高效液相色谱（HPLC）测定目标化合物在两相溶剂中的分配系数,优化HSCCC分离ICABE的溶剂体系,确定了以正己烷-氯仿-乙醇-水（10：1：13：2,v/v/v/v）为HSCCC的两相溶剂系统,以上相为固定相,下相为流动相,流动相流速为1.8 mL/min,主机转速850 r/min,检测波长为230 nm条件下进行分离制备,在350 min内从100 mg粗样品中一步分离得到7.5 mg ICABE,经HPLC检测其纯度达98%以上（峰面积归一化法）,结构由UV、¹H-NMR和¹³C-NMR得以鉴定。该方法简便、快速,所得产物纯度高,适合于铁棒锤中ICABE的制备分离。     

Isolation and purification of oridonin from the whole plant of Isodon rubescens by high-speed counter-current chromatography

Semi-preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used for isolation and purification of oridonin from Isodon rubescens by using a two-phase-solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (2.8:5:2.8:5, v/v/v/v). The targeted compound isolated, collected and purified by HSCCC was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A total of 40.6 mg of oridonin with the purity of 73.5% was obtained in less than 100 min from 100 mg of crude Isodon rubescens extract. The chemical structure of the compound was identified by IR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR.     

Preparative separation of six antimycin A components from antimycin fermentation broth by high-speed counter-current chromatography

A method of using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was established for preparative isolation and purification of antimycin A components from antimycin fermentation broth. Six antimycin A components were successfully purified for the first time by HSCCC with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (5:2:4:1, by volume). Total of 20 mg antimycin A₄(a or b), 25 mg antimycin A₃(a or b), 21 mg antimycin A₈(a or b), 34 mg antimycin A₂(a or b), 26 mg antimycin A₁(a or b) and 34 mg antimycin A₁(a or b) with the purities of 93.2, 98.6, 96.2, 94.1, 94.9 and 96.7%, respectively, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), were yielded from 200 mg crude sample only in one HSCCC run.     

Direct high-performance liquid chromatography enantioseparation of terazosin on an immobilised polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phase under polar organic and reversed-phase conditions

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) enantioseparation of terazosin (TER) was accomplished on the immobilised-type Chiralpak IC chiral stationary phase (CSP) under both polar organic and reversed-phase modes. A simple analytical method was validated using a mixture of methanol–water–DEA 95:5:0.1 (v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Under reversed-phase conditions good linearities were obtained over the concentration range 8.76–26.28 μg mL⁻¹ for both enantiomers. The limits of detection and quantification were 10 and 30 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The intra- and inter-day assay precision was less than 1.66% (RSD%). The optimised conditions also allowed to resolve chiral and achiral impurities from the enantiomers of TER. The proposed HPLC method supports pharmacological studies on the biological effects of the both forms of TER and analytical investigations of potential drug formulations based on a single enantiomer. At the semipreparative scale, 5.3 mg of racemic sample were resolved with elution times less than 12 min using a mobile phase consisting of methanol–DEA 100:0.1 (v/v) and both enantiomers were isolated with a purity of ≥99% enantiomeric excess (ee). The absolute configuration of TER enantiomers was assigned by comparison of the measured specific rotations with those reported in the literature.     

Isolation of the new minor constituents dihydropyranochromone and furanocoumarin from fruits of Peucedanum alsaticum L. by high-speed counter-current chromatography

A preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was successfully used for isolation of two new minor compounds – alsaticol and alsaticocoumarin A. A two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (1:1:1:1) was developed. Compounds were obtained from the dichloromethane extract of Peucedanum alsaticum fruits and their identification was performed with NMR and MS methods. Optimized HSCCC offers a rapid method of obtaining new natural compounds.     

Preparative separation of minor saponins from Platycodi Radix by high-speed counter-current chromatography

Platycosides (PSs), the saponins found in the root of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. (Platycodi Radix), are typically composed of oleanene backbones with two side chains; one is a 3-O-glucose linked by a glycosidic bond, and the other is a 28-O-arabinose-rhamnose-xylose-apiose linked by an ester bond. Minor saponins, acetylated isomers of the major saponin on either the 2' or 3' position of rhamnose, were isolated from Platycodi Radix using a multi-step process including high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and preparative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). After the separation of the major components, the enriched minor saponin fraction was used for this study. A two-phase solvent system consisting of chloroform-methanol-isopropanol-water (3:2:2:3, v/v) was used for HSCCC. HSCCC separation of the enriched minor saponin fraction yielded 2'-O-acetylplatycodin D, 3'-O-acetylpolygalacin D, 2'-O-acetylpolygalacin and a mixture of 3'-O-acetylplatycodin D and polygalacin D. The mixture fraction from HSCCC separation was further purified by preparative RP-HPLC, giving 3'-O-acetylplatycodin D and polygalacin D at a purity of over 98.9%. The developed method provides the preparative and rapid separation of minor saponins in the crude extract of Platycodi Radix. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first on the separation of acetylated PSs by HSCCC.     

Preparative isolation and purification of isobenzofuranone derivatives and saponins from seeds of Nigella glandulifera Freyn by high-speed counter-current chromatography combined with gel filtration

Although the medicinal plant and food Nigella glandulifera Freyn has been researched for decades, isobenzofuranones have never been isolated before. Two isobenzofuranone derivatives and two saponins were successfully separated and purified from seeds of N. glandulifera Freyn by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) with the optimized two-phase solvent system, n-hexane-ethyl acetate–methanol–water (7:3:5:5, v/v). Salfredin B₁₁ (22.1 mg, HPLC purity 95.3%), 5, 7-dihydroxy-6-(3-methybut-2-enyl) isobenzofuran-1(3H)-one (18.9 mg, HPLC purity 97.3%) and crude sample 2 (555 mg) were separated from 600 mg of ethyl acetate extract of N. glandulifera Freyn. Following a cleaning-up step by chromatography on Sephadex LH-20, hederagenin (12 mg) and 3-O-[β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-l-arabinopyranosyl]-hederagenin (45 mg) were separated from sample 2. All of the fractions before peak II were collected and subjected to a Sephadex LH-20 column and eluted by methanol, two of triterpene saponins (12 mg of hederagenin and 45 mg of 3-O-[β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-l-arabinopyranosyl]-hederagenin) were isolated. The structures of peak fractions were identified by IR, electron ionization MS, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. 5, 7-Dihydroxy-6-(3-methybut-2-enyl) isobenzofuran-1(3H)-one was isolated for the first time from higher plant and salfredin B11 was isolated for the first time in this plant.     

硅胶柱色谱结合高速逆流色谱法分离纯化荷花中黄酮类化合物

采用硅胶柱色谱结合高速逆流色谱法分离纯化了荷花中3种黄酮类化合物。荷花粗提物先经过硅胶柱色谱初步分离,得到黄酮含量高的组分,再经过高速逆流色谱分离,以乙酸乙酯-乙醇-水-乙酸(4:1:5:0.025, v/v/v/v)为两相溶剂系统,上相为固定相,下相为流动相,在主机转速800 r/min、流速2.0 mL/min、检测波长254 nm条件下,从150 mg样品中一次性分离制备得到6.1 mg槲皮素-3-O-β-D-葡萄糖醛酸苷(I), 14.8 mg杨梅素-3-O-β-D-葡萄糖苷(II)和20.2 mg紫云英苷(III),经高效液相色谱检测其纯度分别为97.0%、95.4%、96.3%,并通过质谱和核磁共振氢谱、碳谱鉴定各化合物的结构。该方法简便、快速、节省溶剂,可以对荷花中的黄酮类化合物进行快速有效的分离纯化,具有较好的实用价值,为荷花资源的进一步开发应用提供了参考依据。     

高速逆流色谱法快速分离制备枸杞中莨菪亭

建立了用高速逆流色谱(HSCCC)从枸杞中快速分离莨菪亭的方法。将枸杞的乙醇提取物经D-101大孔树脂初步纯化后直接进行高速逆流色谱分离,用薄层色谱-荧光法考察了莨菪亭在不同溶剂体系中的分配情况。结果表明,最佳的溶剂体系为氯仿-甲醇-水(10:7:3, v/v/v),取上相为固定相,下相为流动相,在主机转速为850 r/min、流速为1.5 mL/min、检测波长为365 nm的条件下,从200 mg样品中一次性分离制备可得到10.2 mg纯度达到98.3%的莨菪亭。制备所得的莨菪亭与对照品的高效液相色谱(HPLC)保留时间一致,且经核磁共振氢谱、碳谱鉴定结构;纯度经HPLC法测定。研究发现,氯仿-甲醇-水(10:7:3, v/v/v)体系可连续二次进样而样品的峰形未受明显的影响。实验结果表明用薄层色谱-荧光法可快速选定HSCCC溶剂体系,进而可快速、简便地制备高纯度的莨菪亭。     

Centrifugal partition chromatography directly interfaced with mass spectrometry for the fast screening and fractionation of major xanthones in Garcina mangostana

Xanthones are well known for their interesting phytochemical properties, which make them attractive to the pharmaceutical and medicinal industry. We have therefore developed a method to analyse the major xanthones in Garcina mangostana. The xanthones were extracted by pressurized liquid extraction with ethanol and separated at the semi-preparative scale by centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) with a biphasic solvent system consisting of heptane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (2:1:2:1, v/v/v/v). A CPC-electrospray ionisation MS coupling was performed and used to simultaneously separate and identify the compounds. Thanks to a variable flow splitter and an additional stream of ethanol/1 mol L⁻¹ ammonium acetate (95:5, v/v), all the compounds were ionised, detected and monitored whatever the solvents used in mobile phase for the CPC separation. The dual mode or elution–extrusion which are less solvent-consuming and faster than the elution mode were used without loss of ionisation and detection.     

Separation of polar betalain pigments from cacti fruits of Hylocereus polyrhizus by ion-pair high-speed countercurrent chromatography

Polar betacyanin pigments together with betaxanthins from ripe cactus fruits of Hylocereus polyrhizus (Cactaceae) were fractionated by means of preparative ion-pair high-speed countercurrent chromatography (IP-HSCCC) also using the elution–extrusion (EE) approach for a complete pigment recovery. HSCCC separations were operated in the classical ‘head-to-tail’ mode with an aqueous mobile phase. Different CCC solvent systems were evaluated in respect of influence and effectiveness of fractionation capabilities to separate the occurring pigment profile of H. polyrhizus. For that reason, the additions of two different volatile ion-pair forming perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCA) were investigated. For a direct comparison, five samples of Hylocereus pigment extract were run on preparative scale (900 mg) in 1-butanol–acetonitrile–aqueous TFA 0.7% (5:1:6, v/v/v) and the modified systems tert.-butyl methyl ether–1-butanol–acetonitrile–aqueous PFCA (2:2:1:5, v/v/v/v) using 0.7% and 1.0% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) or heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) in the aqueous phase, respectively. The chemical affinity to the organic stationary CCC solvent phases and in consequence the retention of these highly polar betalain pigments was significantly increased by the use of the more lipophilic fluorinated ion-pair reagent HFBA instead of TFA. The HFBA additions separated more effectively the typical cacti pigments phyllocactin and hylocerenin from betanin as well as their iso-forms. Unfortunately, similar K_D ratios and selectivity factors α around 1.0–1.1 in all tested solvent systems proved that the corresponding diastereomers, 15S-type pigments cannot be resolved from the 15R-epimers (iso-forms). Surprisingly, additions of the stronger ion-pair reagent (HFBA) resulted in a partial separation of hylocerenin from phyllocactin which were not resolved in the other solvent systems. The pigments were detected by means of HPLC-DAD and HPLC-electrospray ionization–MS using also authentic reference materials.