Integrated extraction-purification and anti-inflammatory activity of berberine-rich extracts from Coptis chinensis Franch

In this study, an innovative integrated extraction-purification process (IEPP) was developed to obtain berberine-rich extracts (BRE) from Coptis chinensis Franch. (C. chinensis). Cation exchange resins were screened, single-factor experiments and Box-Behnken design experiments (BBD) were performed to optimize the IEPP. D151 resin was selected as adsorbent and the optimal extraction-purification conditions were 80% ethanol aqueous solution,16 mL/g ratio of liquid to solid, 70 °C extraction temperature, 1.5 h extraction time, 2.44 ratio of resin to raw material, acetic acid concentration of 10%, ultrasonic power of 480 W and ratio of eluent to resin of 2:1 mL/g. The purity of berberine obtained by the IEPP method was 5.57 times than that of the reflux method, the elution solvent consumption was about 1/3–1/7 of that of the previous resin desorption method. The new method allowed high purity and minor solvent consumption compared to previous approaches. The results indicated that the IEPP was energy efficient, green process for extracting BRE from C. chinensis. Meanwhile, the anti-inflammatory property of BRE was evaluated in RAW264.7 macrophages induced with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results showed that BRE could significantly prevent the elevation of inflammatory factors, including nitricoxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 β (IL-1β), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and promote the expression of anti-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-10 (IL-10). In addition, the BRE could effectively inhibit reactive oxygen species (ROS) in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells.