| Abstract: | In this study, the chloroform‐soluble extract of Cuscuta auralis was separated successfully using off‐line two‐dimensional high‐performance countercurrent chromatography, yielding a γ‐pyrone, two alkaloids, a flavonoid, and four lignans. The first‐dimensional countercurrent separation using a methylene chloride/methanol/water (11:6:5, v/v/v) system yielded three subfractions (fractions I–III). The second‐dimensional countercurrent separations, conducted on fractions I–III using n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water/acetic acid (5:5:5:5:0, 3:7:3:7:0, and 1:9:1:9:0.01, v/v/v/v/v) systems, gave maltol ( 1 ), (−)‐(13S)‐cuscutamine ( 2 ), (+)‐(13R)‐cuscutamine ( 3 ), (+)‐pinoresinol ( 4 ), (+)‐epipinoresinol ( 5 ), kaempferol ( 6 ), piperitol ( 7 ), and (9R)‐hydroxy‐d ‐sesamin ( 8 ). To the best of our knowledge, maltol was identified for the first time in Cuscuta species. Furthermore, this report details the first full assignment of spectroscopic data of two cuscutamine epimers, (−)‐(13S)‐cuscutamine and (+)‐(13R)‐cuscutamine. |
