Preparative purification of five bioactive components from Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb by high-speed counter-current chromatography

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) coupled with ultraviolet (UV) detection or evaporative light-scattering detection was successfully applied for preparative separation of five bioactive compounds from Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. In preliminary process, D101 macroporous resin was used to separate the crude extract of the plant and four fractions (20, 40, 50, and 60% aqueous ethanol elutions) were produced. Then, these fractions were directly subjected to HSCCC purification. Five chemicals including taxifolin-3-glucoside (6.4 mg), quercetin-3-rhamnoside (13.0 mg), tiliroside (14.7 mg), agrimonolide (21.4 mg), and tormentic acid (29.8 mg) with the purities of 94.24, 95.37, 97.42, 95.29, and 96.34% were separated from each 200 mg prepared fraction. The purities were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the chemical structures of the products were identified by UV detection, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and the standards. This paper used a simple method to separate five bioactive compounds from A. pilosa Ledeb, and it could provide a new idea for the purification of bioactive compounds from other medicinal plants.     

Preparative isolation and purification of antioxidative diarylheptanoid derivatives from Alnus japonica by high-speed counter-current chromatography

This study employed the online HPLC-2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS)(+) bioassay to rapidly determine the antioxidant compounds occurring in the crude extract of Alnus japonica. The negative peaks of the ABTS(+) radical scavenging detection system, which indicated the presence of antioxidant activity, were monitored by measuring the decrease in absorbance at 734 nm. The ABTS(+)-based antioxidant activity profile showed that three negative peaks exhibited antioxidant activity. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was used for preparative scale separation of the three active peaks from the extract. The purity of the isolated compounds was analyzed by HPLC and their structures were identified by (1)H- and (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), and heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC). Two solvent systems composed of n-hexane/ethylacetate/methanol/water (4:6:4:6, v/v) and of ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1:0.1:1, v/v) were performed in high-speed counter-current chromatography. Consequently, a total of 527 mg of hirsutanonol 5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, 80.04 mg of 3-deoxohirsutenonol 5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and 91.0 mg of hirsutenone were obtained with purity of 94.7, 90.5, and 98.6%, respectively.     

Preparative isolation and purification of two amides from Mallotus lianus Croiz by high-speed counter-current chromatography

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was applied to the preparative isolation and purification of two amides from Mallotus lianus Croiz. In a single HSCCC separation, using the two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (5:1:5:1 v/v), 247.5 mg of the enriched crude sample was separated to afford 10.3 mg of N-isobutyl-2E,4E,12Z-octadecatrienamide and 15.7 mg of (7Z,10Z,18Z)tricosa-7,10,18-trienamide, a novel compound, with the purities of 98.0 and 94.6%, respectively. The HSCCC fractions were analyzed by HPLC and chemical structures of the compounds were identified by 1D- and 2D-NMR, ESI-, and GC-MS.     

Combined application of macroporous resin and high speed counter-current chromatography for preparative separation of three flavonoid triglycosides from the leaves of Actinidia valvata Dunn

In this paper, the combined techniques of macroporous resin column chromatography and high speed counter-current chromatography were applied for preparative separation of flavonoid triglycosides from the leaves of Actinidia valvata Dunn, a famous Chinese medicinal herb. Twelve kinds of macroporous resins were investigated by adsorption and desorption tests. HPD-300 resin showed the maximum effectiveness and thus was selected for the first cleaning-up, in which 20% ethanol was used to remove the undesired constituents and 60% ethanol to elute the targets. The crude extract was then purified by high speed counter-current chromatography with the solvent system composed of ethyl acetate-n-butanol-water (2:1:3 and 4:1:5, v/v). Three flavonoid triglycosides, namely, kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-galactopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-(4-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-(1→6)-β-D-galactopyranoside and kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-(2,4-di-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-(1→6)-β-D-galactopyranoside, were obtained. The purities of the separated compounds were all over 95% as determined by HPLC area normalization method. Their chemical structures were confirmed by UV, MS, NMR, and the standards.     

Preparative isolation of alkaloids from Corydalis bungeana Turcz. by high-speed counter-current chromatography using stepwise elution

High‐speed counter‐current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully applied for the preparative separation and purification of alkaloids from Corydalis bungeana Turcz. (Kudiding in Chinese) for the first time. After the measurement of partition coefficient of seven target alkaloids in the nine two‐phase solvent systems composed of CHCl₃–MeOH–(0.1 M; 0.2 M; 0.3 M) HCl (4:1.5:2; 4:2:2; 4:3:2, v/v), CHCl₃–MeOH–0.2 M HCl (4:2:2, v/v) and CHCl₃–MeOH–0.3 M HCl (4:3:2, v/v) were finally selected for the HSCCC separation using the first upper phase as the stationary phase and the stepwise elution of the two lower mobile phases. Consequently, sanguinarine (10 mg), corynoline (25 mg), protopine (20 mg), corynoloxine (18 mg), and 12‐hydroxycorynoline (8 mg) were obtained from 200 mg of crude alkaloid extracts with purities of 94–99% as determined by HPLC. Their chemical structures were characterized on the basis of ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and LC‐ESI‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS analyses.     

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 atractylon and atractylenolide III from the Chinese medicinal plant atractylodes macrocephala by high-speed counter-current chromatography

The medicinal plant Atractylodes macrocephala (Baizhu in Chinese) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for energy and stomach complaints, treatment of dyspepsia and anorexia, anti-inflammation, anticancer and for increasing assimilation. A high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was developed for the preparative separation and purification of two main bioactive components, namely, atractylon and atractylenolide III from A. macrocephala by using light petroleum (60-90 degrees C)-ethyl acetate-ethanol-water (4:1:4:1 v/v) as the two-phase solvent system in dual-mode elution. Compared with the separation using the normal-mode elution, the dual-mode HSCCC can be achieved with shorter elution time. Atractylenolide III (32.1 mg) at 99.0% purity and 319.6 mg atractylon at 97.8% purity could be obtained from 1000 mg crude sample in a single run. The recoveries of atractylenolide III and atractylon were 95.4 and 92.6%, respectively.     

Preparative purification of gentamicin components using high-speed counter-current chromatography coupled with electrospray mass spectrometry

We developed a useful and preparative method based on high-speed counter-current chromatography with mass spectrometry (HSCCC/MS) to purify gentamicin C1a, C2/2a and C1 from standard powder. The analytes were purified on the HSCCC model CCC-1000 (multi-layer coil planet centrifuge) with a volatile two-phase solvent system composed of n-butanol/10% aqueous ammonia solution (50:50, v/v) and detected on an LCMS-2020EV quadrupole mass spectrometer fitted with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source system in positive ionization following scan mode (m/z 100-500). The HSCCC/ESI-MS peaks indicated that gentamicin C1a (m/z 450: [M+H](+)), C2/2a (m/z 464: [M+H](+)) and C1 (m/z 478: [M+H](+)) have the peak resolution values of 1.3 and 1.7 from 30 mg of loaded gentamicin powder. The HSCCC yielded 3.9 mg of gentamicin C1a, 12.6 mg of gentamicin C2/2a and 12.0 mg of gentamicin C1. These purified substances were analyzed by LC/MS with scan positive-mode. Based on the LC/MS chromatograms and spectra of the fractions, analytes were estimated to be over 95% pure. These gentamicin isomers of C1a, C2/2a and C1 were evaluated for their antibacterial activities. The overall results indicate that this approach of HSCCC/MS is a powerful technique for the purification of gentamicin components.     

Separation and purification of neohesperidin from the albedo of Citrus reticulata cv. Suavissima by combination of macroporous resin and high-speed counter-current chromatography

In this article, a simple and efficient protocol for rapid preparation and separation of neohesperidin from the albedo of Citrus reticulata cv. Suavissima was established by the combination of macroporous resin column chromatography and high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). Six types of resin were investigated by adsorption and desorption tests, and D101 macroporous resin was selected for the first cleaning-up procedure, in which 55% aqueous ethanol was used to elute neohesperidin. After treatment with D101 resin, the neohesperidin purity increased 11.83-fold from 4.92% in the crude extract to 58.22% in the resin-refined sample, with a recovery of 68.97%. The resin-refined sample was directly subjected to HSCCC purification with a two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate-n-butanol-water (4:1:5, v/v), and 23.6 mg neohesperidin with 97.47% purity was obtained from 60 mg sample in only one run. The recovery of neohesperidin in HSCCC separation procedure was 65.85%. The chemical structure of the purified neohesperidin was identified by both HPLC and LC-MS. The established purification process will be helpful for further characterization and utilization of Citrus neohesperidin.     

Preparative isolation and purification of three flavonoid glycosides from Taraxacum mongolicum by high-speed counter-current chromatography

A preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successively applied to purify three flavonoid glycosides from the aerial part of Taraxacum mongolicum, a traditional Chinese medicine. Subsequent UV, MS, and NMR analyses have led to the characterization of three flavonoid glycosides including two new compounds isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside and isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, and a known compound, isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-alpha-D-xyloypyranoside, which were first isolated from T. mongolicum. The two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate/n-butanol/water (2:1:3, v/v/v) was performed in HSCCC. Consequently, a total of 25.7 mg isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside, 19.1 mg isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, and 10.6 mg isoetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-O-alpha-D-xyloypyranoside were obtained with purity of 98.7, 98.3, and 99.1%, respectively, as determined by HPLC from 500 mg enriched extract after cleaning-up by polyamide resin.     

Isolation and purification of ginkgo flavonol glycosides from Ginkgo biloba leaves by high-speed counter-current chromatography

A high-speed counter-current chromatography method was developed for the separation and purification of bioactive flavonol glycosides from a crude ethanol extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves. The separation was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-butanol-ethyl acetate-methanol-0.5% acetic acid (1:0.5:3.5:1:4, v/v) and three pure compounds were eluted in high purities in a one-step separation. Their purities were determined by HPLC and identified by MS,(1)H-NMR, and(13)C-NMR.     

Separation and purification of furanocoumarins from Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. using microwave-assisted extraction coupled with high-speed counter-current chromatography

A method of microwave-assisted extraction coupled with high-speed counter-current chromatography was established for separation and purification of isopimpinellin, pimpinellin and phellopterin from Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. The conditions of MAE including the extraction solvent, size of sample, solid/liquid ratio, extraction temperature and extraction time were optimized by a mono-factor test. That is, 2.0 g dried powder of T. asiatica (L.) Lam of 0.30-0.15 mm size was extracted with 20 mL (solid/liquid ratio of 1:10, g/mL) methanol under 50 °C for 1 min. The crude extract was separated and purified by high-speed counter-current chromatography with hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (5:5:5.5:4.5, v/v/v/v) solvent system. 0.85 mg/g of isopimpinellin, 2.55 mg/g of pimpinellin and 0.95 mg/g of phellopterin were obtained from original sample in one-step within 240 min, the purity determined by high performance liquid chromatography was 95.0%, 99.1% and 96.4%, respectively. Their chemical structures were further identified by mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that microwave-assisted extraction coupled with high-speed counter-current chromatography was a feasible, economical and efficient technique for rapid extraction, separation and purification of effective compounds from natural products.     

Separation of alkaloids from herbs using high-speed counter-current chromatography

Alkaloids represent a most widespread group of bioactive natural products. Because of their alkalinity and structural diversity, the fractionation and purification of the alkaloids from herbs can often present a number of practical difficulties using the conventional chromatographic techniques. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) is a liquid-liquid partition chromatography with a support-free liquid stationary phase, and is gaining more and more popularity as a viable separation technique for bioactive compounds from natural resources. In the present review, focus is placed on the separation of alkaloids by both conventional HSCCC and pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography (CCC) techniques from herbs. The review presents the separation of over 120 different alkaloid compounds from more than 30 plant species by the conventional HSCCC and pH-zone-refining CCC. Based on the data from the literature, the proper solvent systems for the separation of alkaloids by the conventional HSCCC and pH-zone-refining CCC are also summarized.     

Preparative isolation of cyclolanostane-type saponins from Astragalus membranaceus bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao by TLC-MS/MS guided high-speed counter-current chromatography

Two cyclolanostane-type saponins, astragalosides I and II, were first identified by TLC-MS/MS in the ethyl acetate extract of the roots of Astragalus membranaceus Bge var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao without chemical reference substances. They were then isolated by high-speed counter-current chromatography with a two-step two-phase solvent system of ethyl acetate-2-propanol-water (5:1:5, 50:1:50, v/v/v). The quantities of astragalosides I and II isolated from 1 g of the crude extract were 30.2 mg and 16.5 mg, respectively. Their purities were found to be over 95% by HPLC-ELSD analysis. Their chemical structures were confirmed by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.     

Preparative purification of peoniflorin and albiflorin from peony rhizome using macroporous resin and medium-pressure liquid chromatography

Peoniflorin (PF) and albiflorin (AF) are two principal components of Paeonia species, which exhibit various biological activities such as improvement of blood circulation and immunoregulating function. To further utilization of waste parts of peony plants, an efficient method for preparative purification of these two ingredients from white peony rhizome was developed based on macroporous resin (MAR) and medium-pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC). The separation characteristics of nine typical MARs were investigated by static adsorption/desorption experiments, and LX38 was revealed as optimal one. Further static experiments with LX38 resin indicated that the adsorbents fitted well to the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Based on the optimal process parameters, a large-scale preparation was successfully applied. After one run treatment with LX38, the contents of PF and AF were increased 15-fold to 24.5 and 16.8% in the refined extract, respectively. Both purified compounds were obtained from refined extract by reversed-phase MPLC at second-stage separation. The process developed is better because of its low cost, high efficiency, and procedural simplicity making it a potential approach for large-scale production of PF and AF for their further applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals.     

Preparative isolation of guaipyridine sesquiterpene alkaloid from Artemisia rupestris L. flowers using high-speed counter-current chromatography

Although the medicinal plant Artemisia rupestris L. has been widely researched for several decades, its alkaloids have never been isolated before. To our surprise, the alkaloids in the plant were not detected in the stems but detected in the flowers. Herein, a novel and strange guaipyridine sesquiterpene alkaloid with a carboxyl group named rupestine was purified successfully from the total alkaloids extracted from the flowers by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). The two-phase solvent system used was composed of ethyl acetate-methanol-water (8:1:7, v/v/v). Fifty six milligrams of rupestine was obtained at over 97% purity and 95% recovery from 200 mg of the total alkaloids in one-step separation. Its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic methods including high resolution ESI-MS, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation (HMBC), Heteronuclear Single Quantum Coherence (HSQC), and Nuclear Overhauser Enhancement Spectroscopy (NOESY).     

Preparative separation and enrichment of four taxoids from Taxus chinensis needles extracts by macroporous resin column chromatography

An environment‐friendly method was established for the preparative separation and enrichment of four taxoids, namely 10‐deacetylbaccatin III (10‐DAB III), 7‐xylosyl‐10‐deacetyltaxol (7‐xyl‐10‐DAT), cephalomannine and paclitaxel from Taxus chinensis needles extracts. Characteristics of seven widely used macroporous resins for four taxoids were compared, AB‐8 resin offered better adsorption and desorption capacities than others. AB‐8 resin column chromatography was used to study the desorption process for four taxoids. The optimum parameters for desorption were 30% ethanol 5 RV for removing impurities, following 15 RV for 10‐DAB III, after the desorption of impurities with 35% ethanol 10 RV, 45% ethanol 30 RV for 7‐xyl‐10‐DAT, then 65% ethanol 10 RV for cephalomannine and paclitaxel, the flow rate was 6 RV/h. After separation on AB‐8 resin column chromatography, the contents of 10‐DAB III, 7‐xyl‐10‐DAT, cephalomannine and paclitaxel in the product reached 4.58, 13.17, 1.36 and 3.08%, respectively, which were 7.63‐, 3.68‐, 6.18‐ and 6.55‐fold to those in T. chinensis needles extracts. The recovery yields were 94.96, 77.32, 88.09 and 95.25%. In general, the AB‐8 resin column chromatography has the advantages of lower cost, high efficiency and simple procedure. Therefore, it may provide scientific references for the preparative separation and enrichment of taxoids from other T. species.     

高速逆流色谱法分离制备母丁香和公丁香中的5种非挥发性化合物

应用高速逆流色谱法从母丁香和公丁香中快速分离了3种已知非挥发性化合物,并利用相同方法从公丁香中分离出2种色原酮类化合物。两相溶剂系统A为正己烷-乙酸乙酯-甲醇-水(5:8:6:13, v/v/v/v),系统B为正己烷-乙酸乙酯-甲醇-水(5:8:9:10, v/v/v/v),以系统A的上相为固定相,系统A和B的下相为流动相,利用梯度洗脱方式,在主机转速为880 r/min、流速1.2 mL/min条件下,成功地从70 mg母丁香粗提物中分离得到12.3 mg鞣花酸、9.6 mg鼠李素、17.2 mg槲皮素,从50 mg公丁香粗提物中分离得到5,7-二甲氧基-2-甲基色原酮10.2 mg、5,7-二甲氧基-2,6-二甲基色原酮8.6 mg,纯度均在96%以上。各化合物的结构均由质谱和核磁共振氢谱、碳谱鉴定。利用该方法可以对丁香不同药用部位中的非挥发性化合物进行有效的分离和纯化。     

Rapid preparative isolation of a new phenylpropanoid glycoside and four minor compounds from Sparganium stoloniferum using high-speed counter-current chromatography as a fractionation tool

A rapid high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was used to isolate five minor compounds from rhizome of Sparganium stoloniferum namely San Leng in Chinese, including two phenylpropanoid glycosides, sparganiaside A (1) and 1-O-feruloyl-3-p-coumaroylglycerol (2), and three aromatic acids, vanillic acid (3), p-hydroxylcinnamic acid (4), and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (5), of which, compound 1 was a new one. Five compounds were preparatively enriched at top efficiency by one-step HSCCC operation in the isolation procedure. A suitable solvent system composed of chloroform-methanol-water (4:3.5:1.8, v/v/v) was used. And the operation time was less than 4 h. The purities of compounds (1-5) in the enriched fractions were determined to be 75.8%, 66.3%, 90.6%, 79.9%, and 98.2%, respectively. The mean recoveries of the five compounds were 84.8%, 87.3%, 81.8%, 90.3%, and 92.7%, respectively. Compounds 1-4 were further purified by semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This is the first report on the use of HSCCC as a fractionation tool for preparative isolation of minor compounds from S. stoloniferum. The method was proved to be rapid, convenient, high yield, and low cost. HSCCC was shown to be a quick and effective tool in isolation of natural products even though the compounds were not abundant.     

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。