Method For Obtaining a Natural Mixture of Conjugated Equine Estrogens Depleted in Non-Conjugated Lipophilic Compounds

A method for obtaining a natural mixture of conjugated equine estrogens depleted in non-conjugated lipophilic compounds selected from the group comprising non-conjugated flavonoids, non-conjugated isoflavonoids and non-conjugated norisoprenoids, said method comprising:

• a) subjecting an aqueous initial phase, selected from the group consisting of
• (i) an aqueous solution of a natural mixture of conjugated estrogens from pregnant mares' urine already depleted in phenolic urine contents comprising phenol, cresol and dihydro-3,4-bis[(3-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-2(3H)-furanone and obtained by solid-phase or liquid-liquid extraction;
• (ii) an aqueous concentrate of a natural mixture of conjugated estrogens from pregnant mares' urine already depleted in phenolic urine contents comprising phenol, cresol and dihydro-3,4-bis[(3-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-2(3H)-furanone and obtained by solid-phase or liquid-liquid extraction;
• (iii) a concentrate of a urine liquid, and
• (iv) a urine concentrate, freed from mucilaginous substances and solids by mechanical separation methods, or a concentrated urine retentate obtained by filtration,
• to a liquid-liquid extraction with a sufficient quantity of an organic solvent extracting agent which is at most only slightly miscible with water thereby extracting non-conjugated lipophilic compounds, and subsequently separating a resulting aqueous phase, whereby the organic solvent extracting agent is selected from the group consisting of straight-chained, branched or cyclic C4—C10 alcohols, C2—C10 esterified acids, C3—C10 aldehydes, C4—C10 ketones, C2—C10 ethers, C3—C6 nitrites and C1—C3 haloalkanes and mixtures of the aforementioned solvents;
• b) optionally repeating method step (a) with the resulting aqueous phase, and
• c) recovering an aqueous phase containing the natural mixture of conjugated estrogens depleted in non-conjugated lipophilic compounds selected from the group comprising non-conjugated flavonoids, non-conjugated isoflavonoids and non-conjugated norisoprenoids.