Enrichment and purification of madecassoside and asiaticoside from Centella asiatica extracts with macroporous resins

In present study, the performance and separation characteristics of five macroporous resins for the enrichment and purification of asiaticoside and madecassoside from Centella asiatica extracts have been evaluated. The adsorption and desorption properties of total triterpene saponins (80% purity) on macroporous resins including HPD100, HPD300, X-5, AB-8 and D101 have been compared. According to our results, HPD100 offered higher adsorption and desorption capacities and higher adsorption speed for asiaticoside and madecassoside than other resins. Column packed with HPD100 resin was used to perform dynamic adsorption and desorption tests to optimize the separation process of asiaticoside and madecassoside from C. asiatica extracts. After the treatment with gradient elution on HPD100 resin, the content of madecassoside in the product increased from 3.9 to 39.7%, and the recovery yield was 70.4%; for asiaticoside the content increased from 2.0 to 21.5%, and the recovery yield was 72.0%. The results showed that HPD100 resin revealed a good ability to separate madecassoside and asiaticoside, and the method can be referenced for the separation of other triterpene saponins from herbal raw materials. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.