Abstract

Sorbus tianschanica Rupr has been used as a pharmacologically valuable plant in Xinjiang to treat tuberculosis, asthma, cough and gastritis for a long time. Four compounds including three flavonoids and chlorogenic acid were isolated and purified by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) from S. tianschanica Rupr. The two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane - ethyl acetate - n-butanol - water (2:6:1:8, v/v). Consequently, chlorogenic acid (1), Quercetin-3-O-(6''-O-malonyl)-β-D-glucoside (2), Kaempferol-3-O-(6''-O-malonyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3) and Kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4) were obtained from 250 mg crude extracts with purities of 93, 91, 89 and 96%, respectively in a single run. The chemical structures were confirmed by mass spectrometer (MS), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ¹³C NMR. To our knowledge, compounds (2) and (3) were obtained from S. tianschanica Rupr for the first time.

Key words:  High-speed counter-current chromatography, Sorbus tianschanica Rupr, flavonoids, chlorogenic acid.