Preparative Separation of Flavonoids from Goji Berries by Mixed-Mode Macroporous Adsorption Resins and Effect on Aβ-Expressing and Anti-Aging Genes

Flavonoids are the main constituents of Goji berries and have good biological and pharmacological activities. The mixed-mode macroporous adsorption resins (MARs) for purification of flavonoids from Goji berries through computer-assisted calculation of the molecular size of flavonoids and the precise matching of MAR physical and chemical properties was firstly developed in the present study. Ten varieties of MARs with suitable molecular dimensions and polarities were used for investigating the adsorption/desorption behaviors of the flavonoids. Both AUKJ-1 and BWKX-1 showed higher separation efficiency than other MARs and then were mixed in different ratios to constitute a mixed-mode macroporous adsorption resin to obtain the optimal adsorption phase. Under optimal conditions, total flavonoid content of purified flavonoid (p-FLA) extract increased from 0.97% to 36.88% after one purification. The p-FLA extract from Goji berries significantly improved the expression of six genes with anti-aging effects and played an important role in aging-related Alzheimer’s disease by down-regulating Aβ expression.