Direct purification of tanshinones from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge by high-speed counter-current chromatography without presaturation of the two-phase solvent mixture

J Sep Sci. 2010 Jan;33(1):67-73. doi: 10.1002/jssc.200900491.

Abstract

Tanshen, the rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, is a famous Traditional Chinese Medicine for multiple therapeutic remedies. This work presents the isolation and purification of tanshinone I and tanshinone IIA from the extract of the rhizome of S. miltiorrhiza by using high-speed counter-current chromatography (CCC) without presaturation of the two-phase solvent mixture. The CCC method combines the results of CCC solvent system selection and components analyses of solvent mixture by GC, and thus it is possible to add accurately each individual solvent to prepare single saturated solvent phase without presaturation. The optimum CCC solvent system is a system of hexane-ethyl acetate-ethanol-water (8:2:7:3, v/v), which has been determined by usual solvent system selection and CCC runs. As a result, over 98% pure tanshinone IIA and over 94% pure tanshinone I have been obtained by using less solvent volume. Their structures have been identified by ESI-MS, NMR spectra.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abietanes
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / instrumentation
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods*
  • Countercurrent Distribution / instrumentation
  • Countercurrent Distribution / methods*
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / isolation & purification
  • Humans
  • Molecular Structure
  • Phenanthrenes / chemistry
  • Phenanthrenes / isolation & purification*
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Rhizome / chemistry
  • Salvia miltiorrhiza / anatomy & histology
  • Salvia miltiorrhiza / chemistry*
  • Solvents / chemistry*

Substances

  • Abietanes
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Phenanthrenes
  • Plant Extracts
  • Solvents
  • tanshinone