Separation and purification of flavonoid from Taxus remainder extracts free of taxoids using polystyrene and polyamide resin

An efficient separation process of flavonoid from Taxus wallichiana var. mairei remainder extracts free of taxoids was developed in this study. AB‐8 macroporous resin and polyamide resin offered the fine adsorption capacity, and its adsorption rate at 30°C fitted well to the Langmuir and Freundich isotherms. Resin dynamic adsorption and desorption experiments were conducted to optimize the separation process of total flavonoids from T. wallichiana var. mairei remainder extracts free of taxoids. The optimum parameters for adsorption by AB‐8 resin were as follows: (1) the concentration of flavonoids in a sample solution of 5.61 mg/mL with a processing volume of 2 bed volume (BV) (60 mL); (2) for desorption, ethanol–water (80:20, v/v), with 6 BV as an eluent at a flow rate of 2 BV/h. After a one‐run treatment with AB‐8 resin, the content of flavonoids was increased 5.10‐fold from 4.05 to 20.65%. The optimum parameters for adsorption by polyamide resin were as follows: processing volume of 2 BV (30 mL); for desorption, ethanol–water (70:30, v/v), with 8 BV as an eluent at a flow rate of 2 BV/h. After one‐run treatment with polyamide resin, the content of total flavonoids increased from 20.65 to 65.21%. The method will provide a potential approach for large‐scale separation and purification of flavonoid for its wide pharmaceutical use.