Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Michellamine B

Michellamine B is a potential anti-HIV agent isolated from the leaves of a Cameroonian vine,Ancistrocladus korupensis, which grows in the Korup region of Cameroon. Preclinical testing ofMichellamine B by the National Cancer Institute may be adversely impacted by raw materials availability,and the inefficiencies of conventional, large-scale manufacturing processes. The latter is time, labor andmaterial-intensive, utilizes large quantities of organic solvent which can become an environmentalquagmire, and requires extracting and expensive HPLC techniques. Multiple processing steps arerequired resulting in low yields and high costs. Processing time, organic solvent usage andmanufacturing costs may be significantly reduced by the use of supercritical fluid solvents. Our specificaim to determine if Michellamine B can be isolated and purified from Ancistrocladus korupensis tissueby the use of supercritical fluid extraction and chromatographic purification techniques. Thisinvestigation should lead to the development of an improved manufacturing process for cost-effectivelyproducing large quantities of Michellamine B needed for preclinical development and clinical trials.