Isolation and purification of inflacoumarin A and licochalcone A from licorice by high-speed counter-current chromatography

J Chromatogr A. 2004 Sep 3;1048(1):51-7. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2004.06.135.

Abstract

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) technique in semi-preparative scale has been applied to isolate and purify bioactive flavone compounds from the ethanol extract of Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat., a particular plant species of licorice. HSCCC separation was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-chloroform-methanol-water (5:6:3:2, v/v) by eluting the lower mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.8 ml/min and a revolution speed of 800 rpm. Purification was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-chloroform-methanol-water (1.5:6:3:2, v/v) by eluting the lower mobile phase at a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min and a revolution speed of 800 rpm. Two major flavone peaks: inflacoumarin A and licochalcone A were collected and the respective yields of the peaks amount to 6 mg (8.6%, w/w) and 8 mg (11.4%, w/w) from 70 mg of the crude extract sample. The purities of inflacoumarin A and licochalcone A reached 99.6% and 99.1%, respectively, after a sequential purification run. The structures of inflacoumarin A and licochalcone A were positively confirmed by 1H NMR and 13C NMR, 1H-13C-COSY, UV, FT-IR and electron ionization MS analyses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chalcone / analogs & derivatives*
  • Chalcone / isolation & purification*
  • Chalcones
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Coumarins / isolation & purification*
  • Countercurrent Distribution / methods*
  • Glycyrrhiza / chemistry*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Substances

  • Chalcones
  • Coumarins
  • inflacoumarin A
  • Chalcone
  • licochalcone A