Ultrafiltration liquid chromatography combined with high-speed countercurrent chromatography for screening and isolating potential α-glucosidase and xanthine oxidase inhibitors from Cortex Phellodendri.

Cortex Phellodendri is a typical Chinese herb with a large number of alkaloids existing in all parts of it. The most common methods for screening and isolating alkaloids are mostly labor intensive and time consuming. In this study, a new assay based upon ultrafiltration liquid chromatography was developed for the rapid screening of ligands for α-glucosidase and xanthine oxidase. The C. Phellodendri extract was found to contain two alkaloids with both α-glucosidase- and xanthine oxidase binding activities and one lactone with α-glucosidase-binding activity. Subsequently, with the help of high-speed countercurrent chromatography, the specific binding ligands including palmatine, berberine, and obaculactone with purities of 97.38, 96.12, and 96.08%, respectively, were successfully separated. An optimized low-toxicity two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate/n-butanol/ethanol/water (3.5:1.7:0.5:5, v/v/v/v) was used to isolate the three compounds mentioned above from C. Phellodendri. The targeted compounds were identified by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Therefore, ultrafiltration liquid chromatography combined with high-speed countercurrent chromatography is not only a powerful tool for screening and isolating α-glucosidase and xanthine oxidase inhibitors in complex samples but is also a useful platform for discovering bioactive compounds for the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus and gout.