Research Progress on the Separation of Alkaloids from Chinese Medicines by Column Chromatography

Alkaloids have a variety of bioactivities and great development value in the fields of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and health food. Column chromatography is a common method for preparing alkaloids. In this paper, the research status of the separation and purification of alkaloids from Chinese medicines by column chromatography is reviewed, and the factors that influence the refining of alkaloids via a macroporous adsorption resin, ion exchange resin and silica gel are summarized. The thermodynamic and kinetic modeling methods for the static adsorption of adsorbents are also reviewed in this paper. It is suggested that the modeling method of the column chromatography process be deeply studied to establish a more stringent quality control method for sampling liquid and to strengthen the online detection of the chromatography process to improve the refining effect of alkaloids.