Reversed phase centrifugal preparative chromatography for the isolation of triterpenene saponins glycosides from Fagonia Cretica

Fagonia cretica (Zygophyllaceae), a shrub distributed in the Mediterranean regions, is used as a remedy for skin lesion. This plant contains saponins glycosides, which displayed anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antitumor activities. An EtOH extract of the aerial parts was subjected to Centrifugal Preparative Thin Layer Chromatography (CPTLC, Chromatotron®) using a silica gel rotor, which yielded olean-12-en-28-oic acid, 3-(α-L-arabinopyranosyloxy)-23-hydroxy-, β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1) and a mixture of saponins (2 + 3) with identical R _f values. The mixture 2 and 3 was separated quickly and efficiently by a customized reversed phase CPTLC rotor. Compounds 2 and 3 were characterized using 1D and 2D NMR spectral data as olean-12-en-28-oic acid, 23-hydroxy-3-[(2-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)oxy]-, β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2) and Olean-12-en-28-oic acid, 3-[(2-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)oxy]-, β-D-glucopyrano- syl ester (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of RP ChromatoRotor in the centrifugal (or radial) chromatography for the isolation of polar compounds from natural and synthetic sources.