Fast Centrifugal Partitioning Chromatography (FCPC) towards the recovery of secondary metabolites coming from roots of Argemone mexicana

Mexican poppy (Argemone mexicana L.) is an annual thorny herb which belongs to Papaveraceae family. It is commonly spread in Mexico and in south-western North America where it is growing in the wasteland. Argemone mexicana contains high variety of isoquinoline alkaloids which influence its activity (e.g. cholagogue, hipotensive, antifebrile, antimalarial, spasmolytic and depressive towards the CNS).

In the course of current study main active constituents coming from methanolic extract of Mexican poppy's roots were separated using Fast Centrifugal Partition Chromatography. Several solvent systems were elaborated according to their affinity to Mexican poppy's alkaloids. Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and water (15:30:21:20 v/v/v/v) was responsible for the most successful separation of its secondary metabolites.

The obtained alkaloidal fractions were analyzed by means of ESI-octopole-orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight (oa TOF)-mass spectrometry (MS) with high mass accuracy. Among well known and described alkaloids in this species (sanguinarine, chelerithrine, argemonine, protopine, berberine or coptisine), magnoflorine, palmatine and galanthamine were confirmed in Argemone mexicana for the first time.

Selective and sensitive TLC-bioautography screening test for natural acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors was performed for isolated alkaloids [1].

References: [1] Mroczek T (2009)J Chromatography A 1216(12): 2519–2528.