Centrifugal partition chromatography (cpc) – a novel method of separation and purification of natural products - a short review

As technology has evolved, the field of liquid chromatography has developed, bringing new, alternative and high level methods of separation, isolation and purification of the natural products present in the natural plant extracts, replacing the traditional chromatographic methods. In this direction, until now, it has been observed that the Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) presents a high precision in isolating the individual compounds. Thus, we chose to study this topic in the present review. Currently, there is a growing interest in the use of CPC in the sustainable isolation and purification of cannabidiol (CBD) from Cannabis plants due to the extensive medical benefits of cannabis compounds (i.e. epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, etc.); atractylenolide I, selina4(14),7(11)-dien-8-one and (6E,12E)-tetradeca-6,12-diene-8,10-diyne-1,3-diol diacetate from Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba; xylindein from Chlorociboria aeruginosa; diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and octaphlorethol A from Ishige okamurae;Caulerpenyne from Caulerpa taxifolia, etc., most of them with antitumoral activities. Therefore, the challenge of the researchers is to obtain natural compounds through optimization protocols (including columns, sample properties in the solvent system, physical properties of the stationary and mobile phase, parameters of the instrument, etc.), saving time and in an economically cheaper manner. In conclusion, it can be stated that CPC is superior to the traditional methods, extracting compounds faster with high purity (99%), with a higher recovery rate (95%); also, it is environmentally sustainable, contributing efficiently to the pharmaceutical industry development.