Extraction and purification matairesinol bioactive lignan of arizonica cypress (cupressus arizonica)

Matairesinol lignan (MR) of Arizona cypress was isolated, characterized and purified. Wood flour was pretreated with hexane to remove the lipophilic moieties and then soaked in ethanol-water (9:1 v/v) to isolate the phenolic extractives. Matairesinol fraction of the extractives was purified with potassium acetate. Identification of extract moieties were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Analyzing the unpurified extractives indicated the presence of aromatic and sugar impurities within the extract. The results showed that purification of the isolated extractives with potassium acetate led to the reduction of the impurities. In addition, the amount of MR lignan in the original ethanol extract, sediment and clear solution after centrifugation was determined as 11.3, 32.59 and 40.44%, respectively.