Isolation, purification and identification of 20 – hydroxymaytenin as a bioactive metabolite from Maytenus heterophylla liquid cell culture

20 – hydroxymaytenin belongs to the group of quinone - methide petacyclictriterpenes (QMTs), which showed a highly cytotoxicity in wide ranges of cancel cell lines. Therefore, they are pharmaceutical attractive metabolites[1]. However, not all of QMT derivatives are available commercially including 20 – hydroxymaytenin. So, the only way to obtain and used QMTs as a standard reference is to isolate from the plant material. Based on the previous studies, there are two main approaches are available. First method involves in the multiple steps of classical column chromatography[1] and second method is using the preparative HPLC with a suitable column[2]. These methods require either time to process or proper instruments. Here, we propose a short time procedure with regular and basic techniques to isolate and purify 20 – hydroxymaytenin.

To modify and establish a fast and simple method to provide accepted in both quality and quantity of 20 – hydroxymaytenin from M. heterophylla cell culture.

Overall 35 % yield of high purity (up to 97% by HPLC) of 20 – hydroxymaytenin, confirmed structure by a comparison of a spectroscopic data to the previous report[3], was obtained from this technique after 4 simple steps: extraction with dichloromethane, impurities elimination by solid phase extraction (C-18), isolation by preparative thin layer chromatography and purification by Sephadex LH – 20.

Our modified method, which required only a short time of operation and basic equipment, could provide accepted in both quality and quantity of 20 – hydroxymaytenin from M. heterophylla cell culture.

• References

• 1 Yelani T, Hussein AA, Meyer JJM. Isolation and identification of poisonous triterpenoids from Elaeodendron croceum. Nat Prod Res 2010; 24: 1418-1425
• 2 Pina ES, Coppede JS, Contini SHT, Crevelin EJ, Lião LM, Bertoni BW. et al. Improved production of puinone-methide triterpenoids by Cheiloclinium cognatum root cultures: possibilities for a non-destructive biotechnological process. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 2017; 128: 705-715
• 3 Likhitwitayawuid K, Bavovada R, Lin L-Z, Cordell GA. Revised structure of 20-hydroxytingenone and 13C NMR assignments of 22β-hydroxytingenone. Phytochemistry 1993; 34: 759-763