Fractionation and analysis of Artemisia capillaris Thunb. by affinity chromatography with human serum albumin as stationary phase

A method for the screening and analysis of biologically active compounds in traditional Chinese medicine is proposed. Affinity chromatography using a human serum albumin (HSA) stationary phase was applied to separate and anal yze the bioactive compounds from Artemisia capillaris Thunb. Five major pea ks and several minor peaks were resolved based on their affinity to HSA, tw o of them were identified as scoparone (SCO, 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin) and cap illarisin (CAP). CAP shows a much higher affinity to HSA than SCO. The effe cts of acetonitrile concentration, eluent pH, phosphate concentration and t emperature on the retention behaviors of several major active components we re also investigated, and it was found that hydrophobicity and eluent pH pl ay major roles in changing retention values. The results demonstrate that t he affinity chromatography with a HSA stationary phase is an effective way for analyzing and screening biologically active compounds in traditional Ch inese medicine. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.