Application of Chromatographic Technology in Natural Medicine Research

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Analysis of Natural Products and Pharmaceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2027 | Viewed by 3069

Special Issue Editor

Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: efficient preparation and industrial development of bioactive ingredients; natural drug screening and mechanism research; functional dairy product development and efficacy research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural medicines, derived from plants, marine organisms, and other natural sources, represent an invaluable reservoir of chemical diversity with profound therapeutic potential. However, their complex and heterogeneous nature presents significant challenges in characterization, standardization, and quality control. This is where advanced chromatographic technologies become indispensable.

This Special Issue of Separations, titled “Application of Chromatographic Technology in Natural Medicine Research,” is dedicated to exploring the pivotal role of separation science in unlocking the secrets of natural products. We seek to highlight cutting-edge research and reviews that demonstrate the application of various chromatographic techniques—including HPLC, UHPLC, GC, SFC, TLC, and their hyphenation with mass spectrometry and other detection methods—across all facets of the field.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The discovery, separation, and identification of novel bioactive compounds.
  • Metabolomics and profiling for authenticity and origin assessment.
  • Innovative approaches to quality control and standardization of herbal products.
  • Development of green and sustainable chromatographic methods.
  • Preparative chromatography for the isolation of high-value compounds.
  • Advances in chiral separations of natural products.
  • Pharmacokinetic studies and bioanalysis of natural medicines.

We invite original research articles and comprehensive reviews that contribute to the advancement of chromatographic science within natural medicine research. By bringing together leading experts, this Special Issue aims at serving as a valuable resource for researchers, pharmacognosists, and analytical chemists dedicated to harnessing the power of nature for modern therapeutics.

Dr. He Ni
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • natural medicine
  • chromatographic technology
  • bioactive compounds
  • separation
  • identification

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 1466 KB  
Article
Purification of Rosmarinic Acid from Rosemary Extract and the Evaluation of the Antibacterial and Antioxidant Effects of Rosmarinic Acid and Its Derivatives
by Ai-Jing Chen, Jin Lv, Yu Feng, Chang-Jia Mo, Cheng-Wei Yang and He Ni
Separations 2025, 12(11), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations12110294 - 26 Oct 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2713
Abstract
Rosmarinic acid (RA), a natural polyphenolic hydroxyl compound found from plants, exhibits many biological activities. This study reported an efficient purification method for RA from the water-soluble rosemary extract. By employing silica gel column chromatography combined with liquid–liquid extraction, the water-soluble extract of [...] Read more.
Rosmarinic acid (RA), a natural polyphenolic hydroxyl compound found from plants, exhibits many biological activities. This study reported an efficient purification method for RA from the water-soluble rosemary extract. By employing silica gel column chromatography combined with liquid–liquid extraction, the water-soluble extract of rosemary was refined to yield RA with a purity of 92.85 ± 3.18%. To further enhance the potential of RA as a natural preservative, the prepared RA was esterified to produce methyl rosmarinate (RA-me) and propyl rosmarinate (RA-pro). The antioxidant and antibacterial activities of RA and its derivatives were subsequently evaluated. The results indicated that RA and its esterified derivatives exhibited more pronounced antibacterial efficacy against the Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the ester derivatives was enhanced compared to that of RA. RA and RA-me exhibited comparable antioxidant activity, which was superior to that of RA-pro. In summary, this study established an effective purification strategy for RA, laying a foundation for developing better natural, non-toxic preservatives with antibacterial activity. Full article
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