One of the difficulties in treating cancer is that the body’s immune system not only has trouble recognizing cancer cells, but cancer cells also release cytokines that dampen immune function and response. Polymerization of polyphenolic acid monomers yielded a biologically active mixture that activated immune cells to help the body recognize and attack cancer cells. We determined that the sub-fractions of this polymer mixture that are less than 3 kDa activate the pathways responsible for the increased immune response. Using chromatographic methods, the number of polymers in the &lt; 3 kDa sample has been established, and this mixture has been separated into individual fractions. Reverse-phase HPLC with a C18 column and mobile phase of methanol and acidified water was used to separate the mixture by polarity and to identify major polymer fractions. We then used preparative chromatography to collect fractions of the &lt; 3 kDa mixture by first using a preparative C18 column, and then a Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) column packed with Sephadex LH-20. These fractions are pending evaluation in cellular assays to determine their activity. As the polymer mixture has been reduced to the active components, the methodology has been optimized for the best resolution and elution of the active polymers.

Preparative chromatography of polyphenolics using size-exclusion and reverse-phase chromatography

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.