Separation and purification of six isoflavones from Iris tectorum Maxim by macroporous resin-based column chromatography coupled with preparative high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid and robust preparation method of six isoflavones from ethanol aqueous extract of Iris tectorum Maxim (I. tectorum) was established by using macroporous resin column chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (Prep-HPLC). After separation by AB-8 resins, total flavonoids content increased from 10.60% in the crude extract to 54.20% with a recovery yield of 75.12%. Subsequently, the extracts were purified by Prep-HPLC, and the purities were more than 82.2% after assessment by analytical HPLC and characterization by mass spectrometry. The established method is expected to be used for preparing available quantities of pure isoflavones from I. tectorum.