Planta Med 2014; 80 - PD16
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1382437

Polystyrene resins as a means of concentrating the primary metabolites from plant extracts

Y Yu 1, SN Chen 1, JB McAlpine 1, C Simmler 1, D Nikolić 1, Y Liu 1, GF Pauli 1
  • 1Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA

Air-dried plant material was extracted with Ethanol: Isopropanol: Water (90:5:5), and fractionated on columns of different kinds of XAD packing materials (including XAD-2, XAD-4, XAD-7, XAD-16 and XAD-1180N). The extract was concentrated to near aqueous, diluted with water and a minimum amount of methanol to achieve solubility and loaded directly on the columns, which were eluted with water, water/methanol (1:1), methanol, and acetone to return four fractions. Primary metabolites have been identified from the water fractions of the extracts from all varieties of XAD. These included sucrose, glucose, proline, aspartic acid, alanine and trigonelline. All of the aqueous eluates of the XAD resins were similar (NMR and MS), except that NMR studies suggest that they have a little different binding capabilities for some metabolites.