title: Purification of erucic acid by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and crystallization.
abstract: Erucic acid (C22:l fatty acid) has been found to be useful in the treatment of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). It appears to work by reducing the blood levels of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) which destroy the myelin sheaths of the nerves. Erucic acid was purified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on columns packed with YMC C18 (10-20 microns, 120 A). Using ethanol-water as the mobile phase, the recovery of erucic acid was 69% and the purity was more than 97% as measured by gas chromatography. The amount of saturated VLCFAs was found to be within the limits specified for ALD treatment. The production rate (yield per 8 h shift) was low, however. Using methanol-water instead of ethanol-water as the mobile phase, a ninefold increase in the production rate was achieved. The recovery of erucic acid was 65% and the purity of erucic acid was 98%. All other purity specifications were met. By performing a low-temperature crystallization after the preparative HPLC step, the production rate was increased a further 142%. This represents a 22-fold increase in production rate over the ethanol-water method. The crystalline erucic acid was found to be 99% pure. All other purity requirements were met. The yield for the combined process (HPLC plus crystallization) decreased to 55%, however.
authors.affiliation: Separations Technology, Division of EM Industries, Inc., Wakefield, RI 02880-0352.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Painuly
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Grill
mesh_terms: D000326:Adrenoleukodystrophy / Q000188:drug therapy; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003460:Crystallization; D004883:Erucic Acids / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005410:Flame Ionization; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D004883:Erucic Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; C049811:erucic acid