Efficient Separation of Phytochemicals from <i>Muehlenbeckia volcanica</i> (Benth.) Endl. by Polarity-Stepwise Elution Counter-Current Chromatography and Their Antioxidant, Antiglycation, and Aldose Reductase Inhibition Potentials

• Main Authors: Guang-Lei Zuo, Hyun Yong Kim, Yanymee N. Guillen Quispe, Zhi-Qiang Wang, Seung Hwan Hwang, Kyong-Oh Shin, Soon Sung Lim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: antioxidant; antiglycation; aldose reductase inhibition; counter-current chromatography; <i>Muehlenbeckia volcanica</i> (Benth.) Endl.; stepwise elution
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/1/224

<i>Muehlenbeckia volcanica</i> (Benth.) Endl. (<i>M. volcanica</i>), native to South America, is a traditional Peruvian medicinal plant that has multi-therapeutic properties; however, no phytochemicals have been identified from it yet. In this study, a five-step polarity-stepwise elution counter-current chromatography (CCC) was developed using methanol/water (1:5, <i>v</i>/<i>v</i>) as the stationary phase and different ratios of <i>n</i>-hexane, ethyl acetate, and <i>n</i>-butanol as mobile phases to separate the compounds from the 70% methanol extract of <i>M. volcanica, </i>by which six compounds with a wide range of polarities were separated in a single run of CCC and were identified as gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4,4′-dihydroxy-3,3′-imino-di-benzoic acid, rutin, quercitrin, and quercetin. Then, two compounds from the fractions of stepwise elution CCC were separated using conventional high-speed CCC, pH-zone-refining CCC, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, and identified as shikimic acid and miquelianin. These compounds are reported from <i>M. volcanica</i> for the first time. Notably, except for shikimic acid, all other compounds showed anti-diabetic potentials via antioxidant, antiglycation, and aldose reductase inhibition. The results suggest that the polarity-stepwise elution CCC can be used to efficiently separate or fractionate compounds with a wide range of polarities from natural products. Moreover, <i>M. volcanica</i> and its bioactive compounds are potent anti-diabetic agents.