Polyphenols from Ginkgo biloba

Abstract

By Sephadex LH-20 gel chromatography of an extract from Gingko biloba leaves, polymeric proanthocyanidins were eluted after the fractions of flavonol glycosides and biflavone glycosides. A purified proanthocyanidin polymer accounted for 86.6% of the total proanthocyanidins, and for 37.7% of the total antioxidant activity of this leaf extract. For structure elucidation, the polymer was submitted to acidic depolymerization in the presence of phloroglucinol. The structures of the resulting flavan-3-ols and phloroglucinol adducts were determined on the basis of 1D-and reverse 2D-NMR (HSQC, HMBC) spectra of their peracetylated derivatives, MALDI-TOF-MS and CD spectroscopy. The observations resulting from the degradation with phloroglucinol were confirmed by 13C NMR spectroscopy of the polymer. The mean molecular weight of the polymeric fraction was estimated to be 9-10 flavan-3-ol-units. © Qa'dan et al.