Separation and purification of nine platycosides from Platycodi radix by pHPLC and a flash-freeze treatment

Platycodi radix, a frequently used herb and food in East Asia, mainly contains platycosides. Acetyl platycosides present in this herb readily undergo transacetylation. The activation energy and enthalpy of the reaction are respectively 63.01 and 7.48 kJ/mol, which indicates that these acetylated compounds are highly unstable and difficult to purify [1]. Herein, a fast and simple method to purify these unstable components as well as other platycosides is described.