Abstract: The best type of macroporoous resin and the best process conditions were screened for the purification of galanthamine from Lycoris radiate bulbs. Static and dynamic adsorption and desorption experiments were conducted to find out the effects of various process conditions on the adsorption and desorption rates of galanthamine. Macroporous resin type HPD 300 was found to be the best of 9 types investigated. The optimal purification process was obtained as follows: 9 BV of crude extract containing 1.74 g/L galanthamine was loaded at a flow rate of 2 BV/h and then the HPD 300 column was washed with 4 BV of purified water for the removal of unwanted impurities before elution with 8 BV of 70% ethanol at a flow rate of 2 BV/h. By using the optimal purification process, the purity of galanthamine was increased from 10.89% to 45.52%. From these results, we came to the conclusion that HPD 300 allows better adsorption of galanthamine, which is easy to operate, safe and inexpensive, and therefore has a promising application potential.

Key words: Lycoris radiate bulbs, galanthamine, macroporous adsorption resin, purification