Preparative separation of major xanthones from mangosteen pericarp using high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography.

Mangosteen fruit pericarp (MFP) is a rich source of xanthones, which has shown remarkable pharmacological activities. To isolate xanthones, previous methods included labor intensive and time-consuming solid-phase extractions (Sephadex LH20, silica gel) and sequential solvent extraction. In this study, major xanthones (alpha- and gamma-mangostins) in MFP were isolated at high purity in one step utilizing high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography with solvent system composed of petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and water (10:5:5:1). In one run, 200 mg crude extract of MFP was injected and 55.4 mg alpha-mangostin and 12.4 mg gamma-mangostin were obtained with the purity of 93.6 and 98.4%, respectively. The yields of them were 86.3 and 76.3%, respectively. As alpha- and gamma-mangostins are reported to show potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, this method can be used for the large-scale production of them for future in vitro and in vivo biological studies.