β2-Adrenoceptor affinity chromatography and its application in the screening of the active compounds from Semen Armeniacae Amarum

beta(2)-Adrenoceptor (beta(2)-AR) was purified from the rabbit lung tissue by sepharose-salbutamol affinity chromatographic column. To prepare the beta(2)-AR stationary phase, beta(2)-AR was evenly immobilized on the surface of macro-pore silica with a mild chemical coupling method through covalent bond. The retention properties of beta(2)-AR stationary phase were characterized by four ligands, salbutamol sulfate, noradrenaline bitartrate, adrenaline hydrochloride and propranolol hydrochloride, to establish the beta(2)-AR affinity chromatography. Then, the method was used to screen the active compounds from the total extracts of Semen Armeniacae Amarum. The results showed that beta(2)-AR on the surface of the stationary phase could keep its original bioactivity and selectivity. Amygdalin retained in the chromatographic column was proved to be the active compound of the total extracts of Semen Armeniacae Amarum. Compared with the existing chromatographic screening approaches, this method showed a good stability and high selectivity. The active compounds which could interact with beta(2)-AR in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could be screened efficiently by this method, providing a new way to screen the active compounds in complicated samples such as TCM.