Purification of six lignans from the stems of Schisandra chinensis by using high-speed counter-current chromatography combined with preparative high-performance liquid chromatography

A method for the preparative purification of lignans from Schisandra chinensis was established using a combination of high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The crude extracts obtained from S. chinensis by using 70% ethanol were separated on a macroporous resin column and then eluted with a graded ethanol series. A two-phase solvent system consisting of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:1:1:1, v/v) was used for HSCCC, and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (50:50, v/v) was used for preparative HPLC. The results obtained using HSCCC were compared with those obtained using preparative HPLC, and their advantages were further integrated to improve the separation efficiency. Six known lignans were identified by electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 13C NMR analyses; the purities of all the compounds were more than 91%.