Separation and purification of triterpene saponins from roots of Radix phytolaccae by high-speed countercurrent chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detection.

Coupled with evaporative light scattering detection, high-speed countercurrent chromatography was successfully applied for the first time to separation and purification of four triterpene saponins including esculentoside A, B, C and D from roots of Radix Phytolaccae. The separation was performed with an optimized two-phase solvent system composed of chloroform-methanol-water (4:4:2, v/v) using the lower phase as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min,. From 150 mg of crude extract 46.3 mg of esculentoside A, 21.8 mg of esculentoside B, 7.3 mg of esculentoside C, and 13.6 mg of esculentoside D were obtained at purities of 96.7%, 99.2%, 96.5% and 97.8%, respectively, as determined by HPLC analysis. The structures of the four triterpene saponins were identified by ESI-MS,(1)H NMR and (13)C NMR.