Patent ID: 6991814
Filing Date: 2006-01-31
Classification: A61K

Abstract:
1. A method for obtaining a lipid soluble extract from rhizomes and leaves of Curcuma species of the Zingiberaceae family and fractions of the lipid soluble extract, said method comprising the steps of: a) powdering the rhizomes and leaves of the b) extracting the powder with a polar organic solvent selected from the group consisting of alcohol and acetone under continuous stirring or sonication for about 24 hours at room temperature; c) repeating step b) two to five times. d) removing the polar organic solvent by distillation under reduced pressure and below 45° C. to obtain a concentrate; e) triturating the concentrate with a non-polar solvent selected from the group consisting of light petroleum and toluene; f) removing the non-polar solvent by distillation under reduced pressure and below 45° C. to obtain the lipid soluble extract; g) fractionating the lipid soluble extract using silica gel column chromatography using n-hexane, n-hexane:ethyl acetate mixture in a ratio of 95:5, and ethyl acetate as eluents which are used successively to obtain fraction A, fraction B, and fraction C, and j) fractionating each of fractions A, fraction B, and C further using HPLC or GLC to obtain the constituents of fractions A, B and C wherein the constituents of fraction A are selected from the group consisting of ar-turmerone of formula 1 and turmerone of formula 2; constituents of fraction B are selected from the group consisting of curcumene and zingiberine and constituents of fraction C are selected from the group consisting of germacrone, curcumerone, zedoarone, sedoarondiol, isozdedoaronidiol and curlone.