Separation and anti-inflammatory evaluation of phytochemical constituents from Pleurospermum candollei (Apiaceae) by high-speed countercurrent chromatography with continuous sample load

Separation and purification of alkaloids and phenolic acids from Phellodendron chinense by pH-zone refining and online-storage inner-recycling counter-current chromatography

In this work, eight compounds from Phellodendron chinense were separated and purified by pH-zone refining counter-current chromatography and traditional counter-current chromatography coupled with online-storage inner-recycling counter-current chromatography (IRCCC). The pH-zone-refining mode was adopted for separating 2.0 g of crude extract with the solvent system of chloroform-methanol-water (4:3:3, v/v), in which 10 mM hydrochloric acid and 10 mM triethylamine were added in the stationary and mobile phases, respectively. Meanwhile, traditional counter-current chromatography coupled with online-storage IRCCC separation was performed by the solvent system of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (5:5:2:8, v/v). Finally, eight compounds, including six alkaloids as 6-methylpiperidin-2-one(1), isoplatydesmine(4), berlambine(5), epiberberine(6), palmatine(7), berberine(8) and two phenolic acids as ferulic acid(2), isoferulic acid(3), were successfully obtained using these three different CCC modes with the purities over 95.0%.

Application of one-step inner-recycling counter-current chromatography for the preparative separation and purification of chemical constituents from the rhizome of Bergenia ciliate (haw.) Sternb

Bergenia ciliata (haw.) Sternb, the renowned pharmaceutical plant in Jammu and Kashmir of Pakistan, is widely applied in treating different illnesses including diabetes, diarrhea, and vomiting. This work employed an efficient one-step inner-recycling counter-current chromatography for preparative separating and purifying compounds with similar partition coefficients from the rhizome of Bergenia ciliate (haw.). Five compounds, including quercetin rhamnodiglucoside (1), quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (2), bergenine (3), kaempferol (4), and palmatic acid (5), were successfully separated using the optimized biphasic solvent system that contained ter-butylmetylether/n-butanol/acetonitrile/water (2:2:1:5, v/v) with the purities over 98%. Mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance were conducted for structural identification. As a result, our proposed strategy might be applied in separating compounds with similar partition coefficients, which was advantageous with regard to the less solvent and time consumption, and the increased number of theoretical plates.

Isolation and purification of high polar glycosides from aerial parts of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino by linear gradient counter-current chromatography coupled with inner-recycling mode

Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino represents the popular health food and supplemental product with broad pharmacological activities. The highly polar glycosides, including flavonoids and saponins, are major effective active components that contain diverse sugar positions and quantities, which result in diverse chemical polarities, making it challenging to separate and isolate these components. The present work described the rapid and efficient linear gradient counter-current chromatography to preparatively separate glycosides from aboveground parts of G. pentaphyllum. Besides, the ethyl acetate and n-butanol binary mobile phases were achieved through adjusting associated proportions. Six glycosides, including quercetin-3-O-neohesperidoside (1), kaempferol-3-O-robinobioside (2), kaempferol-3-O-neohesperidoside (3), gypenoside LVI (4), ginsenoside Rb3 (5), and gypenoside XLVI (6), were isolated at the purities greater than 98%. Moreover, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance tandem mass spectrometry were conducted for structural identification. According to our findings, the established linear gradient counter-current chromatography was an efficient approach to separate the highly polar glycosides from aboveground parts of G. pentaphyllum. Our proposed strategy can be used to separate active compounds from other complex natural products.

Separation and purification of quinolyridine alkaloids from seeds of Thermopsis lanceolata R. Br. by conventional and pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

In this work, the preparative separation of quinolyridine alkaloids from seeds of T. lanceolata by conventional and pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography. Traditional counter-current chromatography separation was performed by a flow-rate changing strategy with a solvent system of ethyl acetate-n-butanol-water (1:9:10, v/v) and 200 mg sample loading. Meanwhile, the pH-zone-refining mode was adopted for separating 2.0 g crude alkaloid extracts with the chloroform-methanol-water (4:3:3, v/v) solvent system using the stationary and mobile phases of 40 mM hydrochloric acid and 10 mM triethylamine. Finally, six compounds, including N-formylcytisine (two conformers) (1), N-acetycytisine (two conformers) (2), (-)-cytisine (3), 13-β-hydroxylthermopsine (4), N-methylcytisine (5), and thermopsine (6) were successfully obtained in the two counter-current chromatography modes with the purities over 96.5%. Moreover, we adopted nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry for structural characterization. Based on the obtained findings, the pH-zone-refining mode was the efficient method to separate quinolyridine alkaloids relative to the traditional mode.

Pleurospermum candollei Methanolic Extract Ameliorates CCl4-Induced Liver Injury by Modulating Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory, and Apoptotic Markers in Rats

The main objective of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective potency of the Pleurospermum candollei methanol extract against CCl₄-induced liver damage in rats. HPLC technique was used to estimate the presence of polyphenols in the methanol extract of P. candollei (PCM), while proximate analysis revealed the presence of carbohydrates, lipids, and moisture in the extract. The antioxidant potential of PCM was evaluated by 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and reducing power assay, which showed a high percentage of inhibition against free radicals. Hepatotoxicity was induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄). CCl₄ administration reduced the activity of endogenous antioxidants, whereas it increased the production of nitrites and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in rats. Furthermore, the level of hepatic markers in serum was also elevated after CCl₄ administration. Moreover, the expression of stress-related markers, proinflammatory mediators, and apoptotic genes was enhanced in CCl₄-treated rats. Coadministration of PCM along with CCl₄ in rats reduced the levels of free radicals and the above genes to normal levels. CCl₄ administration caused histopathological alterations in liver tissues, while cotreatment with PCM mitigated liver injuries. These findings suggest that the methanol extract of P. candollei possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can prevent liver injury. Further pharmacological research will be helpful in determining the effectiveness of P. candollei in humans. Development of FDA-approved plant-based anti-inflammatory drugs can help treat patients and reduce the chances of toxicity.

Comprehensive Phytochemical Profiling, Biological Activities, and Molecular Docking Studies of Pleurospermum candollei: An Insight into Potential for Natural Products Development

The purpose of this study was to find the biological propensities of the vegetable plant Pleurospermum candollei by investigating its phytochemical profile and biological activities. Phytochemical analysis was done by spectroscopic methods to investigate the amount of total polyphenols, and biological evaluation was done by the different antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory (tyrosinase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase), thrombolytic, and antibacterial activities. The highest amount of total phenolic and flavonoid contents was observed in methanolic extract (240.69 ± 2.94 mg GAE/g and 167.59 ± 3.47 mg QE/g); the fractions showed comparatively less quantity (57.02 ± 1.31 to 144.02 ± 2.11 mg GAE/g, and 48.21 ± 0.75 to 96.58 ± 2.30 mg QE/g). The effect of these bioactive contents was also related to biological activities. GCMS analysis led to the identification of bioactive compounds with different biological effects from methanolic extract (antioxidant; 55.07%, antimicrobial; 56.41%), while the identified compounds from the n-hexane fraction with antioxidant properties constituted 67.86%, and those with antimicrobial effects constituted 82.95%; however, the synergetic effect of polyphenols may also have contributed to the highest value of biological activities of methanolic extract. Molecular docking was also performed to understand the relationship of identified secondary metabolites with enzyme-inhibitory activities. The thrombolytic activity was also significant (40.18 ± 1.80 to 57.15 ± 1.10 % clot lysis) in comparison with streptokinase (78.5 ± 1.53 to 82.34 ± 1.25% clot lysis). Methanolic extract also showed good activity against Gram-positive strains of bacteria, and the highest activity was observed against Bacillus subtilis. The findings of this study will improve our knowledge of phytochemistry, and biological activities of P. candollei, which seems to be a ray of hope to design formulations of natural products for the improvement of health and prevention of chronic diseases; however, further research may address the development of novel drugs for use in pharmaceuticals.

Pharmacological Properties of Bergapten: Mechanistic and Therapeutic Aspects

Bergapten (BP) or 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP) is a furocoumarin compound mainly found in bergamot essential oil but also in other citrus essential oils and grapefruit juice. This compound presents antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hypolipemic, and anticancer effects and is successfully used as a photosensitizing agent. The present review focuses on the research evidence related to the therapeutic properties of bergapten collected in recent years. Many preclinical and in vitro studies have been evidenced the therapeutic action of BP; however, few clinical trials have been carried out to evaluate its efficacy. These clinical trials with BP are mainly focused on patients suffering from skin disorders such as psoriasis or vitiligo. In these trials, the administration of BP (oral or topical) combined with UV irradiation induces relevant lesion clearance rates. In addition, beneficial effects of bergamot extract were also observed in patients with altered serum lipid profiles and in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver. On the contrary, there are no clinical trials that investigate the possible effects on cancer. Although the bioavailability of BP is lower than that of its 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) isomer, it has fewer side effects allowing higher concentrations to be administered. In conclusion, although the use of BP has therapeutic applications on skin disorders as a sensitizing agent and as components of bergamot extract as hypolipemic therapy, more trials are necessary to define the doses and treatment guidelines and its usefulness against other pathologies such as cancer or bacterial infections.

An efficient high-speed counter-current chromatography method for the preparative separation of potential antioxidant from Paeonia lactiflora Pall. combination of in vitro evaluation and molecular docking

Paeonia lactiflora Pall., one of the most famous classical herbal medicine, has been used to treat diseases for over 1200 years. In this research, the functional ingredients were purified by online-switch two-dimensional high-speed counter-current chromatography combined with inner-recycling and continuous injection mode. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by investigating the 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride-induced oxidant damage in vitro and confirmed through molecular docking. n-Butanol/ethyl acetate/water (2:3:5, v/v) solvent system was used for the first dimensional separation and optimized the sample loading. Two pure compounds and a polyphenol-enriched fraction were separated. The polyphenol-enriched fraction was separated with a solvent system n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (2:8:4:6, v/v) with continuous injection mode. Five compounds were successfully separated, including gallic acid (1), methyl gallate (2), albiflorin (3), paeoniflorin (4), and ethyl gallate (5). Their structures were identified by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. The results from antioxidant effect showed that albiflorin had stronger antioxidant activity. Molecular docking results indicated that the affinity energy of the identified compounds ranged from -3.79 to -8.22 kcal/mol and albiflorin showed the lowest affinity energy. Overall, all those findings suggested that the strong antioxidant capacity of albiflorin can be potentially used for treatment of diseases that caused by oxidation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The applicability of high-speed counter-current chromatography for preparative separation of biosynthesis products: Glycosylation products as example

Biosynthesis is a promising way to manufacture desired products, however, the purification of its final products is a tough work due to the huge amount of reaction matrix. Liquid stationary phase of high-speed counter-current chromatography could easily avoid the commonly disadvantages that occurred in traditional column chromatography in the field of biosynthesized products purification. This characteristic makes high-speed counter-current chromatography particularly applicable for final products separation in biosynthesis. In this study, the glycosylation products of Silybin B by one-pot glycosylation were successfully purified by high-speed counter-current chromatography to show the applicability of high-speed counter-current chromatography for preparative separation of biosynthesis products. An optimized n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (2:5:2:3, v/v/v/v) system was applied in this study. As a result, four Silybin B glycosylation products, including 7 mg of Silybin B-5-O-β-D-glucoside (SG-1), 12 mg of Silybin B-3-O-β-D-glucoside (SG-2), 10 mg of Silybin B-7-O-β-D-glucoside (SG-3), and 24 mg of Silybin B-20-O-β-D-glucoside (SG-4), were simultaneously separated from 200 mg of glycosylation crude products, with the purity of 89.3, 95.2, 96.4, and 97.5%, respectively. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis.

Silver Ion-Complexation High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography Coupled with Prep-HPLC for Separation of Sesquiterpenoids from Germacrene A Fermentation Broth

A silver ion high-speed counter-current chromatography ([Ag+]-HSCCC) was developed to separate and purify five sesquiterpenoids from germacrene A fermentation broth. The solvent system was consisted of n-hexane-methanol-silver nitrate (3 mol/L) solution (10:9.5:0.5, v/v). By employing this chromatographic protocol, five sesquiterpenoids named β-elemene (1; 54.1 mg), germacrene A (2; 28.5 mg), γ-selinene (3; 4.6 mg), β-selinene (4; 3.4 mg), and α-selinene (5; 1.3 mg) were obtained successfully from 500 mg extracted crude sample with purities of 97.1%, 95.2%, 98.2%, 96.3% and 98.5%, respectively, combined with preparative HPLC. The results reveal that the addition of metal ion in biphasic solvent system significantly improved the HSCCC separation factor of sesquiterpenoids. Meanwhile, our study also provided an alternate approach to separate the compounds with less polarity, also geometrical isomers and various natural product classes.

A Simple and Efficient Two-Dimensional High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography Linear Gradient and Isocratic Elution Modes for the Preparative Separation of Coumarins from Roots of Toddalia asiatica (Linn.) Lam

Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. (Rutaceae) has shown a broad spectrum of biological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-HIV, and anticancer properties. The present study is concerned with the separation of the main components with broad partition coefficients (K_D values) from T. asiatica, using linear gradient high-speed counter-current chromatography (LGCCC) combined with an off-line two-dimensional (2D) mode. Similar to the binary gradient HPLC, the LGCCC mode is operated by the adjustment of the proportion between the mobile phase of 5:5:1:9 (v/v) (pump A) and 5:5:4.5:5.5 (v/v) (pump B) in an n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water solvent system. The off-line 2D-CCC mode was used in this study for the secondary separation of two similar K_D value compounds with n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (5:5:4:6, v/v). Notably, six coumarins, namely, tomentin (1), toddalolactone (2), 5,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin (3), mexoticin (4), isopimpinellin (5), and toddanone (6), were efficiently separated. The structures of the pure compounds were elucidated by spectral techniques and compared with the literature.