Introduction: Screening and analysis of bioactive components from natural products is a fundamental part of new drug development and innovation. Two-dimensional (2D) chromatography has been demonstrated to be an effective method for screening and preparation of specific bioactive components from complex natural products.
Objective: To collect details of application of 2D chromatography in screening of natural product bioactive components and to outline the research progress of different separation mechanisms and strategies.
Methodology: Three screening strategies based on 2D chromatography are reviewed, including traditional separation-based screening, bioactivity-guided screening and affinity chromatography-based screening. Meanwhile, in order to cover these aspects, selections of different separation mechanisms and modes are also presented.
Results: Compared with traditional one-dimensional (1D) chromatography, 2D chromatography has unique advantages in terms of peak capacity and resolution, and it is more effective for screening and identifying bioactive components of complex natural products.
Conclusion: Screening of natural bioactive components using 2D chromatography helps separation and analysis of complex samples with greater targeting and relevance, which is very important for development of innovative drug leads.
Keywords: 2D chromatography; bioactive components; natural products; screening.
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