Studies On The Extraction, Isolation And Antioxidative, Anti-inflammatory Activities Of The Flavonoids From Carthamus Tinctorius L.

Several extraction methods, such as soaking, ultrasound-assisted, reflux heatingand ASE, respectively, were carried out to extract the flavonoids from Carthamustinctorius L. The contents of safflower yellow A (HSYA) and safflor yellow B (SYB)in different extracts of C. tinctorius were determined by high-performance liquidchromatography, then the ASE extraction was proved to be better than the others.Two known flavonoids, HSYA and SYB were isolated and purified from plantextract of Carthamus tinctorius L. for the first time by reverse-phase medium-pressureliquid chromatography (RP-MPLC) using a mobile phase system consisting ofacetonitrile and water containing0.5%acetic acid. The purities of two compouds of C.tinctorius, each at100%and93%as determined by high-performanceliquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. The identification of the two purifiedcompounds was achieved by congruent retention times, the data of the liquidchromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MSn) with those ofthe authentic standards and literature reports. The fragmentation pathway wasproposed according the LC-ESI-MSndata.In vitro MMP-2inhibition assays and ultrafiltration liquid chromatography coupledto electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ultrafiltration LC-ESI-MSn) werecombined to screen MMP-2inhibitors from C. tinctorius for the first time. As a result,two compounds were identified as MMP-2inhibitors in C. tinctorius extract, and theirstructures were confirmed to be HSYA and SYB by their retention times, andLC–ESI-MS in the negative ion mode. Our screening results indicated that SYB is agood MMP-2inhibitor. Folin-Ciocaileu method and the free radical [DPPH·] assay were used to evaluatethe phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of the different extracts used differentmethods. The samples of safflower had the strongest activity of scavenging freeradicals.