Preparative separation of punicalagin from pomegranate husk by high-speed countercurrent chromatography

Punicalagin, the main ingredient of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) husk, is a high molecular weight polyphenolic compound. It has shown remarkable pharmacological activities attributed in the presence of dissociable -OH groups. To isolate punicalagin, previous methods included labor intensive and expensive solid phase extractions by column chromatography (C-18, polyamides, dellulose, Sephadex Lipophilic LH-20, Diaion HP20). High-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) was used for isolation and purification of punicalagin from pomegranate husk. Using preparative HSCCC about a 350mg amount of the crude extract was separated, yielding 105mg of punicalagin at a high-purity of over 92%. Eighty milligrams of gallic acid was simultaneously separated as another product, at a purity of 75%. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.