Phenolic Compounds from Japanese anise (Illicium anisatum L.) Twigs

Japanese anise (Illicium anisatum L.) twigs were collected and ground after drying, then immersed with 50% aqueous acetone for 3 days. After filtration, the extracts were fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform ($CHCl_3$), ethylacetate (EtOAc) and $H_2O$, and then freeze-dried after condensation. A portion of EtOAc soluble fraction (5.7 g) was chromatographed on a Sephadex LH-20 column with various aqueous $MeOH-H_2O$. Compound 2 and compound 3 were isolated from fraction 8 and 5, respectively. Compound 1 and compound 4 were isolated after rechromatography of fraction 7. The isolated compounds were elucidated as (+)-catechin (1), taxifolin (2), taxifolin-3-O-${\beta}$-D-(+)-xylopyranose (3) and quercitrin (4) by spectral and literature data, and by comparison with the authentic samples. Of the isolated compounds, taxifolin (2), taxifolin-3-O-${\beta}$-D-(+)-D-xylopyranose (3) and quercitrin (4) were isolated, for the first time, from the extracts of japanese anise twigs.