PURIFICATION OF TAXOL BY INDUSTRIAL PREPARATIVE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

A method has been developed for the preparative purification of taxol from a crude chloroform extract of Taxus yunnnnensis using an industri al preparative liquid chromatography (IPLC) system based on polymeric stationary phase (D956 resin). Using single-system apparatus, about 5 kg of the crude extract could be loaded on a column initially, and fin ally, through three chromatographic runs, about 50-g quantities of tax ol (>99% pure) could be obtained within 155 h without any organic solv ent waste. The recovery of taxol was greater than 80%. The D956 resin has shown greater selectivity and capacity of taxol than silica gel an d C-18 materials. With the system, industrial-scale production of taxo l could be realized. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.