Development of a method to extract and purify target compounds from medicinal plants in a single step: online hyphenation of expanded bed adsorption chromatography and countercurrent chromatography

摘要

Pure compounds extracted and purified from natural sources are crucial to lead discovery and drug screening. This study presents a novel two-dimensional hyphenation of expanded bed adsorption chromatography (EBAC) and high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) for extraction and purification of target compounds from medicinal plants in a single step. The EBAC and HSCCC were hyphenated via a six-port injection valve as an interface. Fractionation of ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza and Rhizoma coptidis was performed on the hyphenated system to verify its efficacy. An amount each of 52.9 mg of salvianolic acid B and 2.1 mg of rosmarinic acid was obtained from Salvia miltiorrhiza by the two-dimensional system in a single step. The purities of the targets were over 96% of salvianolic acid B and 74% of rosmarinic acid. An amount each of 4.6 mg of coptisine and 4.1 mg of berberine was obtained from Rhizoma coptidis each with 98% and 82% purity, respectively. The processing time was nearly 50% that of the multi-step method. These results indicate that the present method is a rapid and green way to harvest targets from medicinal plants in a single step.