Chlorogenic acid is a kind of phenylpropanoid formed during aerobic respiration in plants. It is mainly found in plants belonging to lonicera genus under caprifoliaceae family and artemisia genus under asteraceae family, and is also found in many common fruits and vegetables in our daily lives, such as sweet potatoes, tomatoes, coffee beans and bananas, but at a very low level.
As early as 120 years ago (1897), British scientists Osbome and Cambel had discovered an active substance with strong antioxidant capacity which could blacken sunflower seed protein, and in 1909, foreign scholars Corter et al named such active substance as chlorogenic acid. In 1947, foreign scholars Rudkin and Nelson had identified the chemical structure of chlorogenic acid as depside for the first time, with its molecular formula of C16H18O9, molecular weight of 354.31, molecular structure containing an ester bond and unsaturated double bond, three hydroxyl groups and two phenolic hydroxyl groups, and relatively unstable chemical properties.
Due to the presence of chiral carbon atoms in chlorogenic acid, chiral impurities of dextran chlorogenic acid are probabilistically formed in the synthesis process; and it contains multiple phenolic hydroxyl groups, and therefore is easily oxidized. Therefore, artificial synthesis of chlorogenic acid is difficult and extremely costly. From the end of the last century to the present high-purity chlorogenic acid can only be synthesized in the laboratory at the microgram level, and the cost is very high, so there is no significance market value of the artificial synthesis.
In 2000, 103 years after discovering the chlorogenic acid substance, Mr. Zhang Jie, the inventor of chlorogenic acid and the chairman of Jiuzhang Biotech, led his scientific research team to use chlorogenic acid monomer in the studies of major diseases (cancers) for the first time in the world. As a result of many years of research, Mr. Zhang Jie and his team overcame technical bottlenecks, successfully extracted high-purity chlorogenic acid (purity: 99.9%) from plants, and qualitatively and quantitatively determined the impurities of 1‰ in it; separated the plant allergic protein, addressing the problem of potential allergenicity of chlorogenic acid; could effectively control the limit of impurities during storage to keep high safety and good stability. Jiuzhang Biotech have realized the conversion of chlorogenic acid extract to chlorogenic acid drug substance, which lays an objective foundation for the study of finished drug product.
With Folium Eucommiae as raw material, chlorogenic acid is prepared through extraction, separation and purification, with simple process, stability, environmental friendliness and strong controllability. The manufacturing process and technology of chlorogenic acid drug substance is the achievement of in-depth research on the basis of the technical platform of “separation and purification by column chromatogram and protection by reduced vehicle of easily oxidized natural products which have been extracted, coupled and purified”, which can protect polyphenols from damage and help to obtain high-purity monomer compounds economically; at the same time, it also can precisely control process impurities, degradation impurities and other sources of impurities to meet the requirements for medicinal use.
Jiuzhang Biotech respects for nature, follows objective laws, explores to understand characteristics of chlorogenic acid and its biological activity. In the in-depth research and development process, the research team uses KEGG and UNIPROT databases to screen, investigate and analyze the functions and pathways of all chlorogenic acid-related proteins through biological experiments combined with studies on immunomics and proteomics, and finds that there are eight main types of diseases related to treatment with chlorogenic acid: cancers, hematological system disorders, immune system disorders, musculoskeletal diseases, disorders of cell growth and differentiation, including many common diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and psoriasis.
With the continuous development of molecular biology and medical technology, the pathogenesis of more and more diseases becomes known, and based on these known mechanisms, numerous drugs have been developed. However, the pathogenesis of many diseases including tumors is still unclear. In view of this situation, it is necessary to find substances in nature, and combine the cutting-edge biological science and technology to carry out adequate basic and clinical studies. Nature has prepared answers to many questions for us. In terms of drug research and development, Jiuzhang Biotech will continue to search and explore in nature, comb the microworld, and implement innovation.
