Extract from Ginkgo biloba leaves, in particular for intravenous injection or infusion, a method of preparation of the extract and ampoule preparations containing the extract

Abstract: Extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba containing most of the flavone glycosides, ginkgolides and bilobalide originally present in the leaves, characterized in that it is essentially free of components of the leaves with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties, method of its preparation and pharmaceuticals containing the extract.

Description: The invention relates to an extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba which is free of components with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties and a method for its preparation. The extract of the invention is especially suitable for the preparation of pharmaceuticals for intravenous administration, such as intravenous injection or infusion, since it does not contain components with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties which disturb such an application. The invention therefore also relates to ampoule preparations containing the extract of the invention which are directed to intravenous administration. DE-B-21 17 429 describes a method of preparation of an active component mixture from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba as well as an injection or infusion preparation from this mixture with an active component concentration of 3.5 mg/ml for example. Further embodiments of this method, the aim of which is to separate components with allergenic potential from the extracts, are described in the patent applications P 39 40 092.1 and P 39 40 091.3 which are not prepublished. In the case of injection solutions with a higher content of the active component mixture prepared according to the method of DE-B-21 17 429, according to the above-cited patent applications P 39 40 092.1 and P 39 40 091.3 or according to another known method, lines of precipitation are observed on testing for serum-precipitating properties above a concentration of 25 mg/ml in the test medium. Furthermore, the above-mentioned extracts of Ginkgo biloba already have haemagglutinating properties at concentrations below 10 mg/ml which prevent their use as pharmaceuticals for intravenous administration. Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to prepare an extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba which contains most of the flavone glycosides, ginkgolides and bilobalide originally present in the leaves and essentially show no serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties. A further object of the invention is to provide a method of preparation of the above extracts from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba which allows the provision of extracts containing the active components with the pharmaceutically and clinically desired effect but not the components with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to prepare pharmaceutical preparations, in particular ampoule preparations, for intravenous injection or infusion which contain the above Ginkgo biloba extracts and the application of which poses no danger of side effects caused by components with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties. Consequently, the invention relates to an extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba according to claims 1 to 5 which is practically free of components with serum-precipitating and haemagglutinating properties. In addition, the invention relates to a method of preparation of the above Ginkgo biloba extracts according to any of claims 6 to 12 in which the leaves of Ginkgo biloba are extracted in a manner known per se in order to obtain an extract containing the components of the leaves, whereby in the course of the extraction process or after this process a chromatographic treatment is carried out on a cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a polyamide. Methods of obtaining the components from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba are described inter alia in DE-B-21 17 429 and the German patent applications nos. P 39 40 091.3 and P 39 40 092.1. The treatment with polyamide (Nylon-6\)-powder according to Example 3 of DE-B-21 17 429 by batch process serves to remove the undesired polymeric polyphenol compounds and does not allow the preparation according to the invention of extracts from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba which are essentially free of components with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties. EP-A-86 315 describes a method of reducing the content of polymeric polyphenol compounds by means of polyvinyl pyrrolidone in ethanolic-aqueous solution by batch process. The removal of the extract components having the serum-precipitating and haemagglutinating effect as described in the present invention is not achieved by this method either. The chromatographical treatment according to the present invention can be carried out on a cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a polyamide; cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone is preferred. Of the eluants used according to the present invention a mixture of water and a C₃₋₄-ketone is preferred. Especially preferred is a mixture of water and acetone in a ratio of 10 : 90 to 60 : 40, in particular in a ratio of 20 : 80 to 50 : 50. Finally, the present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions according to any of claims 13 to 15, in particular in the form of ampoule preparations. In a preferred embodiment the pharmaceutical preparations are characterized by a content of Ginkgo biloba extract prepared according to a method of the invention in lyophilised form. For the experiments described below for serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties, extracts were used which had been prepared according to the method of the German patent application P 39 40 091.3 or modified according to the teaching of the present invention. For the testing of serum-precipitating properties, a modified, double gel diffusion test was carried out according to Ouchterlony (Progress in Allergy, Vol. V (1958) 1). The experiment is carried out in a 1% agar gel in phosphate buffered sodium chloride solution (PBS; NaCl 120 mM, KCl 2.7 mM, sodium phosphate 10mM, pH 7.4) with 0.02% NaN₃ on an electrophoresis film. In a circular arrangement a central hole is filled with 10 µl of undiluted human serum and six peripheral cavities at a distance of 8mm are each filled with 10 µl of an extract solution (PBS) in a concentration of 25 or 50 mg/ml. The test preparations are incubated for 24 hours at room temperature in a damp chamber and subsequently evaluated in their native state and after being stained with Coomassie blue R 250. For the purpose of comparison both negative and positive controls are examined in parallel preparations. The lack of any line of precipitation in the case of the highest extract concentration used proves the absence of serum-precipitating accompanying substances. Testing for serum-precipitating properties Extract No. Concentration (mg/ml) before chromatographical after treatment 1 50 ++ - 25 + - 2 50 ++ - 25 + - 3 50 ++ - 25 + - 4 50 ++ - 25 + - ++ two lines of precipitation; + one line of precipitation; - no line of precipitation In addition to the examination of serum-precipitating properties, the extracts according to the invention were examined for haemagglutinating properties. Solutions of active component mixtures from the prior art when testing for haemagglutinating properties according to the test method described in the following already show an agglutination of the human erythrocytes used at a concentration below 10 mg/ml in the test medium. The object of the examination for haemagglutinating properties is to check the presence of accompanying substances which cause clumping of blood cells. The test is carried out in V-shape micro titre plates. Each cavity is filled with 50 µl of a suspension of 2% human erythrocytes (ABO-type A) in phosphate buffered sodium chloride solution (PBS; NaCl 120 mM, KCl 2.7 mM, sodium phosphate 10 mM, pH 7.4). Subsequently, 50 µl of solutions containing Ginkgo biloba extract are added in concentrations decreasing by factor 2 in the range of 50 mg/ml to 0.78 mg/ml in PBS and the preparation is mixed for approximately 30 seconds on a shaker. After an incubation time of 60 minutes at room temperature, the reaction is evaluated by means of a magnifying glass and compared with the results of simultaneously examined positive and negative controls. A lack of clumping of the erythrocytes in the case of concentrations of up to 25 mg/ml is considered to be sufficient removal of substances with haemagglutinating properties. According to the present invention, however, extracts can be prepared which show no clumping of erythrocytes up to a concentration of 50 mg/ml. Testing for haemagglutinating effect Extract No. Concentration (mg/ml) before chromatographical after treatment 1 6.25 25.0 2 6.25 50.0 3 6.25 50.0 4 3.13 25.0 The above-mentioned interactions with soluble and corpuscular components of the blood can lead to side effects or complications when using injection solutions with comparable concentrations of active component mixtures from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba if the components with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties are not removed according to the method of the present invention. The examples illustrate the invention. Parts and percentage data refer to weight unless otherwise stated. EXAMPLE 1 10 kg of cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone is stirred with 90 kg of 75% aqueous acetone for one hour and then allowed to stand at room temperature for approx. 16 hours. The suspension is poured into a 100 l glass cylinder with a sieve plate and at least 70 kg of solvent is collected as a forerun. 30 kg of Ginkgo extract with approx. 24% flavone glycosides is dissolved in 90 kg of 75% aqueous acetone and fed onto the column. Elution is carried out with 75% aqueous acetone until the extract concentration in the eluate is less than 0.5%. The combined eluate fractions are filtered and concentrated in vacuum to a solids content of 40 - 60%. This concentrate is dried in a vacuum drying oven to a dry extract. EXAMPLE 2 1 Vial contains in lyophilised form: Ginkgo biloba extract 50.0 mg Mannitol 94.7 mg The pH value is adjusted with 6N NaOH to pH 4.0 - 4.4. The corresponding solvent ampoule contains: Na₂HPO₄ x 12 H₂O 26.0 mg water for injection purposes 2974.0 mg EXAMPLE 3 1 Vial contains in lyophilised form: Ginkgo biloba extract 200.0 mg Mannitol 378.8 mg The pH value is adjusted with 6N NaOH to pH 4.0 - 4.4. The corresponding solvent ampoule contains: Na₂HPO₄ x 12 H₂O 86.40 mg water for injection purposes 9913.60 mg

Claims: Extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba containing most of the flavone glycosides, ginkgolides and bilobalide originally present in the leaves, characterized in that it is essentially free of components of the leaves with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties. Extract according to claim 1, containing 20 to 30 weight percent, in particular 22 to 26 weight percent, flavone glycosides, 2.5 to 4.5 weight percent of ginkgolides A, B, C and J in total, 2.0 to 4.0 weight percent bilobalide and less than 10 ppm, in particular less than 1 ppm, alkylphenol compounds. Extract according to claim 1 or 2 obtainable by extraction of the leaves of Ginkgo biloba in a manner known per se, whereby during or at the end of the extraction process a chromatographic treatment is carried out on a cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a polyamide. Extract according to claim 3, characterized in that the chromatographic treatment is carried out with a mixture of water and a C₁₋₄-alcohol or a mixture of water and a C₃₋₄-ketone as an eluant. Extract according to claim 4, characterized in that the chromatographic treatment is carried out with a mixture of water and acetone in a ratio of 10 : 90 to 60 : 40. Method of preparation of an extract according to any of claims 1 to 5, whereby leaves of Ginkgo biloba are extracted in a manner known per se to obtain an extract containing the components of the leaves, characterized in that in the course of the extraction process or after the process a chromatographic treatment is carried out on a cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a polyamide. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the chromatographic treatment is carried out with a mixture of water and a C₁₋₄-alcohol or a mixture of water and a C₃₋₄-ketone as an eluant. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the chromatographic treatment is carried out with a mixture of water and acetone in a ratio of 10 : 90 to 60 : 40. Method of preparation of an extract from Ginkgo biloba leaves, containing 20 to 30 weight percent, in particular 22 to 26 weight percent, flavone glycosides, 2.5 to 4.5 weight percent of ginkgolides A, B, C and J in total, 2.0 to 4.0 weight percent bilobalide and less than 10 ppm, in particular less than 1 ppm, alkylphenol compounds, which is essentially free of components of the leaves with serum-precipitating and/or haemagglutinating properties, characterized in that (a) fresh or dried green leaves from Ginkgo biloba are extracted at a temperature of approximately 40 to 100°C with either aqueous acetone, an aqueous alkanol with 1 to 3 C-atoms or anhydrous methanol, (b) most of the organic solvent is separated from the extract to a maximum content of 10 weight percent, preferably a maximum of 5 weight percent, whereby water can be added in the last distillation steps, (c) the remaining concentrated aqueous solution is diluted with water to a solids content of 5 - 25 weight percent, preferably 15 to 20 weight percent, allowed to cool, while being stirred, to a temperature below 25°C, preferably of approximately 10 to 12°C, until a precipitate forms and this precipitate, consisting of lipophilic components which do not dissolve well in water, is removed, (d) ammonium sulfate is added to the remaining aqueous solution to give a content of 30 weight percent and the solution formed is extracted with methylethylketone or a mixture containing methylethylketone and acetone in a ratio of 9 : 1 to 4 : 6, preferably 6 : 4, (e) the extract obtained is concentrated to a solids content of 50 - 70% and the resultant concentrate is diluted with water to a solids content of 5 - 20%, (f) the resultant solution is subjected to a multistep extraction with a water-immiscible butanol or pentanol, (g) the butanol or pentanol layers are concentrated to a solids content of 50 - 70%, (h) the concentrate is diluted with sufficient water and ethanol to obtain a solution of 5 to 20 weight percent dry extract in 20 to 60 weight percent aqueous ethanol, (i) the aqueous alcohol solution is extracted with an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic solvent with a boiling point of approximately 60 to 100°C in order to further remove the alkylphenol compounds, (j) the water phase is concentrated under reduced pressure, (k) the resultant concentrate is taken up in a mixture of water and acetone in a ratio of 10 : 90 to 60 : 40 weight percent, fed onto a column filled with a cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone and eluted with the above mixture of water and acetone, and (l) the eluate is dried at a maximum temperature of 60 to 80°C to a dry extract with a water content of less than 5%. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the method steps (d) and (e) are left out and the aqueous solution obtained in (c) is processed further according to steps (f) to (l), whereby in step (f) 10 to 30 weight percent of sodium chloride or ammonium sulfate, preferably 20% ammonium sulfate, can be added to the aqueous solution. Method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that n-butanol is used in step (f). Method according to claim 9, characterized in that instead of method steps (e) to (l) the following method steps (e) to (m) are carried out: (e) the extract obtained is concentrated to a solids content of 50 - 70% and the concentrate obtained is diluted with water and ethanol so that a solution is obtained which contains 50 weight percent of water and 50 weight percent of ethanol with a solids content of 10 weight percent, (f) an aqueous solution of a lead salt such as lead acetate, lead hydroxide acetate or lead nitrate, or an aqueous suspension of lead hydroxide, preferably a solution of lead hydroxide acetate, is added to the thus obtained solution until a change in colour from brown to umber takes place, and the precipitate formed is removed, (g) the remaining aqueous-alcohol solution is extracted with an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic solvent with a boiling point of approximately 60 to 100°C in order to further remove the alkylphenol compounds, (h) the remaining aqueous-alcohol solution is concentrated under reduced pressure to a maximum ethanol content of approximately 5% and ammonium sulfate is added up to a content of 20 weight percent, (i) the solution obtained is extracted with a mixture of methylethylketone and ethanol in a ratio of 8 : 2 to 5 : 5, preferably 6 : 4, and (k) the resultant organic phase is concentrated to a solids content of 50 to 70 weight percent, (l) the resultant concentrate is taken up in a mixture of water and acetone in a ratio of 10 : 90 to 60 : 40 weight percent, fed onto a column filled with a cross-linked polyvinyl pyrrolidone and eluted with the above mixture of water and acetone, and (m) the eluate is dried at a maximum temperature of 60 to 80°C to a dry extract with a water content of less than 5%. Pharmaceutical compositions, characterized by a content of Ginkgo biloba extract according to any of claims 1 to 5. Pharmaceutical compositions according to claim 13, characterized in that the active component is in an ampoule in dried form, optionally together with adjuvants. Pharmaceutical compositions according to claim 14, characterized in that the ampoule preparation contains 10 to 50 weight percent of active component and 50 to 90 weight percent of mannitol as an adjuvant.

Inventors: SCHWABE KLAUS-PETER DR, SCHWABE, KLAUS-PETER, DR.
Applicants: SCHWABE WILLMAR GMBH & CO, DR. WILLMAR SCHWABE GMBH & CO.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A61K35
IPC codes: A61K36, A61K31, A61K9, A61P9, A61K39, B01D11