Purification of vandaterosides from Vanda teres (Orchidaceae) by stepwise gradient centrifugal partition chromatography

Vandaterosides are polar glucosyloxybenzyl eucomate derivatives found in Vanda teres (Orchidaceae), which display biological activities that slow the skin ageing process. In order to obtain larger quantities to allow us to go further in the bioassays, the hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts (leaves and stems) of V. teres were fractionated by centrifugal partition chromatography, combining isocratic, gradient, and dual elution modes. The first fractionation was performed on the extract maintained in the stationary phase as water saturated in butanol, while increasing the polarity of the mobile phase by changing the proportions of ethyl acetate/1-butanol/water, in order to obtain two enriched fractions. Vandateroside I was then purified by isocratic mode with ethyl acetate/ethanol/water (46: 14: 40), while vandateroside II was obtained by combining isocratic elution with ethyl acetate/isopropanol/water (30: 20: 50) followed by a multiple dual mode with ethyl acetate/ethanol/water (46: 14: 40). In this manner, hundreds of milligrams of vandateroside I and II were recovered from 10 g of V. teres extract.