Efficient combination of circulating ultrasound-assisted extraction and centrifugal partition chromatography for extraction and on-line separation of chemical constituents from Stellera chamaejasme L.

INTRODUCTION

Sample preparation is a crucial step in medicinal herb analysis because the desired chemical components need to be extracted from the herbal materials for further separation and characterisation. Thus, the development of " modern" sample preparation techniques with significant advantages over conventional methods is very important.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was the development of a new preparation method using circulating ultrasonic-assisted extraction (CUAE) coupled with centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) for continuous extraction and on-line isolation of chemical constituents from Stellera chamaejasme L.

METHODOLOGY

The stationary or mobile phase was used as the extraction solvent. Extraction parameters, including the ultrasound power, extraction time, temperature, and liquid:solid ratio, were optimised using a response surface methodology.

RESULTS

The extraction time, temperature, and power considerably affected the extraction yield. The optimised extraction parameters were an ultrasound power of 800 W, extraction time of 30 min, extraction temperature of 70 °C, and liquid:solid ratio of 8 mL/g. The solvent system for CUAE and CPC was optimised using mathematical equations, and the two-phase solvent system of n-hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol:water at a volume ratio of 3:5:4:6 was calculated. Four target compounds (daphnoretin, chamaechromone, neochamaejasmin A, and isochamaejasmin) with purities above 96% were successfully extracted and isolated on-line via CUAE/CPC.

CONCLUSION

Compared with the reference extraction methods, the instrumental setup achieved a scientific and systematic extraction and isolation of natural products and has great potential for industrial application.