RESUMO
Objective: To develop an efficient method for separating and purifying puerarin from the roots of Pueraria lobata. Methods: Separation by fast centrifugal partition chromatography (FCPC) was processed with a biphasic solvent system composed of ethyl acetate- n-butanol-water (2:1:3). The separation conditions were determined as follows: sample loading of 10 mg, flow rate of 2 mL/min, rotation speed of 2200 r/min, ascending mode, and detection wavelength of 254 nm. High speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) was used as a comparative method with the rotation speed of 800 r/min, flow rate of 2.0 mL/min, and sample loading of 10 mg in tail-to-head mode. Results: Puerarin was obtained by FCPC with a resolution of 0.90 and a purity above 99%, while a resolution below 0.50 and a purity below 90% by HSCCC. Compared with HSCCC, FCPC has the advantages with higher purity and better resolution. Conclusion: FCPC is a powerful method to separate and purify puerarin. © 2014 Tianjin Press of Chinese Herbal Medicines.