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Three curcuminoids: bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and curcumin from turmeric were successfully separated by a high capacity solvent system composed of heptane: chloroform: methanol: water mixture (5: 6: 3: 2 v/v/v/v) tailored for centrifugal partition chromatographs at K-values of 0.504, 1.057, 1.644, respectively. These three ferulic acid derivatives obtained at a purity rate exceeding 95% were analysed by an HPLC-MS spectrometer. Turmeric extract inhibited the proliferation/viability of A549 human lung cancer, HT29 colon cancer, and T98G glioblastoma cell lines in (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) tetrazolium reduction assay (MTT). Single curcuminoids significantly decreased the viability/proliferation of lung cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. However, total extract displayed the superior anticancer activity in the investigated cell lines. Crude extract in combination with cisplatin augmented the decrease in the viability of cancer cells compared with single compound treatment in A549 lung cancer cells. Total extract of Curcuma longa could be regarded as being more effective against lung cancer cells in vitro than its separated compounds.

Licorice botanicals are produced from the roots of Glycyrrhiza species (Fabaceae), encompassing metabolites of both plant and rhizobial origin. The composition in both primary and secondary metabolites (1°/2°Ms) reflects the physiologic state of the plant at harvest. Interestingly, the relative abundance of 1°Ms vs 2°Ms in licorice extracts remains undetermined. A centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) method was developed to purify liquiritin derivatives that represent major bioactive 2°Ms and to concentrate the polar 1°Ms from the crude extract of Glycyrrhiza uralensis. One objective was to determine the purity of the generated reference materials by orthogonal UHPLC-UV/LC-MS and qHNMR analyses. The other objectives were to evaluate the presence of 1°Ms in purified 2°Ms and define their mass balance in a crude botanical extract. Whereas most impurities could be assigned to well-known 1°Ms, p-hydroxybenzylmalonic acid, a new natural tyrosine analogue, was also identified. Additionally, in the most polar fraction, sucrose and proline represented 93% (w/w) of all qHNMR-quantified 1°Ms. Compared to the 2°Ms, accounting for 11.9% by UHPLC-UV, 1°Ms quantified by qHNMR defined an additional 74.8% of G. uralensis extract. The combined orthogonal methods enable the mass balance characterization of licorice extracts and highlight the relevance of 1°Ms, and accompanying metabolites, for botanical quality control.

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