Optimised ultrasonic-assisted extraction of flavonoids from Folium eucommiae and evaluation of antioxidant activity in multi-test systems in vitro

Techniques for analysis of plant phenolic compounds

Phenolic compounds are well-known phytochemicals found in all plants. They consist of simple phenols, benzoic and cinnamic acid, coumarins, tannins, lignins, lignans and flavonoids. Substantial developments in research focused on the extraction, identification and quantification of phenolic compounds as medicinal and/or dietary molecules have occurred over the last 25 years. Organic solvent extraction is the main method used to extract phenolics. Chemical procedures are used to detect the presence of total phenolics, while spectrophotometric and chromatographic techniques are utilized to identify and quantify individual phenolic compounds. This review addresses the application of different methodologies utilized in the analysis of phenolic compounds in plant-based products, including recent technical developments in the quantification of phenolics.

Box-Behnken design based statistical modeling for ultrasound-assisted extraction of corn silk polysaccharide

In this study, ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) conditions on the yield of polysaccharide from corn silk were studied using three factors, three level Box-Behnken response surface design. Process parameters, which affect the efficiency of UAE such as extraction temperature (40-60 °C), time (10-30 min) and solid-liquid ratio (1:10-1:30 g/ml) were investigated. The results showed that, the extraction conditions have significant effects on extraction yield of polysaccharide. The obtained experimental data were fitted to a second-order polynomial equation using multiple regression analysis with high coefficient of determination value (R(2)) of 0.994. An optimization study using Derringer's desired function methodology was performed and the optimal conditions based on both individual and combinations of all independent variables (extraction temperature of 56 °C, time of 17 min and solid-liquid ratio of 1:20 g/ml) were determined with maximum polysaccharide yield of 6.06%, which was confirmed through validation experiments.

Synthesis of resins with ionic liquids for purification of flavonoids from Hippophae rhamnoides L. leaves

The efficient purification method of high-purity flavonoids from Hippophae rhamnoides L. (sea buckthorn) is reported. A novel room temperature ionic liquid-based macroporous adsorption resin (MAR), N-methylimidazole/MARs (Mim/MARs), was prepared on the basis of the Friedel-Crafts-catalyzed and surface-modified technique. The material exhibited favorable characteristics for adsorption application, including high pore volume (1.90 cm(3)/g, 3 times as big as the optimal commercial adsorbent), good pore structure (type IV isotherm with an H1 hysteresis loop, the most favorable structure for adsorption purposes), narrow particle size and pore size distribution (1.2 mm with a standard deviation of 0.106 mm), and excellent chemical stability. This paper also presents the first experimental evidence that the functional groups of the modified materials and composite action of certain molecular interactions between the adsorbent and flavonoids affected the adsorption process. Moreover, a new sphere-size adsorption kinetics model in which the adsorption process contained three or more compartments and detailed parameters of sphere size was developed according to the multicompartment kinetics model and Karichhoff's theory by investigating the regression of the experimental results. The conclusion that the first compartment of the adsorption process onto Mim/MARs mainly occurred on spheres larger than 0.83 mm and the second and third ones mainly occurred on spheres of 0.46-0.83 and 0.22-0.46 mm, respectively, was drawn from this new sphere-size adsorption kinetics model.

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of flavonoids compounds (FC) from hawthorn seed (HS)

Hawthorn seed (HS), an important by-product of the Hawthorn industry, is rich in potentially health-promoting flavonoids compounds. In this paper, the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of FC from HS was investigated. Important variables and their levels were obtained using Plackett-Burman (PB) design and Box-Behnken (BB) design. A mathematical model was developed to show the effects of each variable and their combinatorial interactions on extraction yield of FC. A high coefficient of determination (R(2) = 91.26%) indicated good agreement between the experimental and predicted values of FC yield. The optimum levels of these significant parameters were determined using response surface methodology (RSM), which revealed these as follows: ultrasound temperature 65 °C, ultrasonic time 37 min, extraction temperature 91 °C, extraction time 1.5h, solid-liquid ratio of 1:18, and 72% ethanol. Under the optimum condition, the UAE rate of FC was up to 91.7%, and the yield of FC was 16.45 ± 0.02 mg/g (P<0.05) that was 1.32-fold the yield of conventional reflux extraction (CRE).

Ultrasonication--a complementary 'green chemistry' tool to biocatalysis: a laboratory-scale study of lycopene extraction

Lycopene is bequeathed with multiple bio-protective roles, primarily attributed to its unique molecular structure. The concomitant exploitation of two of the green chemistry tools viz., sonication and biocatalysis is reported here for the laboratory scale extraction of lycopene from tomato peel. The coupled system improved the extraction by 662%, 225% and 150% times over the unaided, only cellulase 'Onozuka R-10' treated and only sonication treated samples respectively. The sonication parameters (duration, cycle and amplitude) during the coupled operation were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Derivative UV-visible spectra (i.e., dA/dλ and d(2)A/dλ(2) against λ), FTIR analysis, and DPPH scavenging test suggested that the reported extraction protocol did not affect the molecular structure and bioactivity of the extracted lycopene. The influence of sonication on the probable structural modulation (through UV-visible spectral analysis) and activity of the enzyme were also analyzed. A plausible mechanism is proposed for the enhanced extraction achieved via the coupled system.

Optimization of Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Flavonols and Anthocyanins from Blueberry Using RSM

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) method was developed for continued extraction of flavonols and anthocyanins from Blueberry. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize experimental conditions for extraction of flavonols and anthocyanins. Three major independent variables such as ultrasonic power (W), extraction time (min), liquid to solid ratio (mL/g) were studied. The optimal extraction conditions of flavonols and anthocyanins were determined as follows: ultrasonic power 512.7 W, extraction time 29.8 min, liquid to solid ratio 9.5:1 mL /g. Under a modified condition (ultrasonic power 510W, extraction time 30 min, liquid to solid ratio 10:1 mL /g), the experimental yields of flavonols and anthocyanins were 0.806mg/g and 2.903mg/g respectively, which were agreed closely with the predicted values (0.804mg/g and 2.899mg/g).

Optimization of ultrasonic-stimulated solvent extraction of sinigrin from Indian mustard seed (Brassica Juncea L.) using response surface methodology

INTRODUCTION

Sinigrin, a major glucosinolate present in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) seeds as the precursor of the anticancer compound allyl isothiocyanate, shows a wide range of biological activities. It's necessary to optimize the extraction methods and conditions, in order to improve the extraction productivity and save raw material.

OBJECTIVE

To systemically investigate and optimize the most important factors affected the productivity of sinigrin in the process of extraction using response surface methodology.

METHODOLOGY

The ranges of three main factors including the ethanol concentration, extraction time and extraction temperature were selected by the one-factor-at-a-time method. The conditions of ultrasonic-stimulated extraction of sinigrin from defatted Indian mustard seed powder were optimized by Box-Behnken design to obtain the maximum productivity.

RESULT

The predicted productivity (3.81%) was obtained using 57% ethanol concentration at 81 °C for 60 min, with the coefficient of the model R² > 0.96 (n = 17). The actual productivity (3.84 ± 0.02%) of sinigrin under the optimized condition was increased by 70.67% compared with the result of conventional extraction. Meanwhile, HPLC, UV and IR were applied to examine if there is a difference between the ultrasonic-stimulated solvent extraction and conventional extraction, and the improvement of productivity of sinigrin depended on the destruction of cell wall caused by the elimination of outer pectinous material was explained by SEM and composition content analysis.

CONCLUSION

The ultrasonic-stimulated solvent extraction was suggested to be a promising method to improve the productivity of sinigrin. And the results demonstrated that sinigrin productivity may be related to pectinous materials existed in the seeds.

A critical review of methods for characterisation of polyphenolic compounds in fruits and vegetables

Phenolic compounds, ubiquitous in plants, are of considerable interest and have received more and more attention in recent years due to their bioactive functions. Polyphenols are amongst the most desirable phytochemicals due to their antioxidant activity. These components are known as secondary plant metabolites and possess also antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties along with their high antioxidant capacity. Many efforts have been made to provide a highly sensitive and selective analytical method for the determination and characterisation of polyphenols. The aim of this paper is to provide information on the most recent developments in the chemical investigation of polyphenols emphasising the extraction, separation and analysis of these compounds by chromatographic and spectral techniques.

Optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction procedure for the analysis of opium alkaloids in papaver plants by cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis

This study investigated the use of ultrasound-assisted extraction to improve the extraction efficiency of morphine, codeine and thebaine from the papaver plants. Extraction conditions such as type of solvent, temperature, duration, frequency and power level of ultrasonic were optimized and the influences of different parameters on resolution of alkaloids in CE were studied. The optimized condition for CE separation includes a sodium phosphate buffer (100 mM, pH 3.0) containing 5 mM alpha-CD. The optimized extraction conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction was an extraction time of 1 h, an ultrasonic frequency of 60 kHz with water-methanol (80:20) at 40 degrees C as the extraction solvent. The LOD for alkaloids was found to be 0.1 microg/mL at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. The RSDs for peak areas were in the range of 1.4-4.4%. The amounts of opium alkaloids (mg/100 g dried sample) in four Iranian papaver plants were found to be in the range of 7.8-8.7 (morphine), 5.5-9.5 (codeine) and 1.4-10.4 (thebaine). It should be emphasized that no cleanup of the filtered extract was required; hence, direct determination after extraction drastically simplifies the analytical process.

Autonomic nervous system and nitric oxide in antihypertensive and cardiac inhibitory effects induced by red mold rice in spontaneously hypertensive rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the antihypertensive activity of the ethanol extract (EE) of red mold rice (RMR) and to explore its mechanism of action. In comparison to EE of nonfermented rice, the EE of RMR contained higher levels of total phenolic, total flavonoids, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and monacolin K. Intravenous bolus administration of the EE (10-50 mg/kg) resulted in biphasic, dose-dependent antihypertensive effects and decreases in heart rate, cardiac contractility, and sympathetic vasomotor tone in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The initial and delayed antihypertensive responses, and the negative inotropic and chronotropic effects of EE treatment (30 mg/kg, i.v.) were significantly reduced by pretreatment with hexamethonium (30 mg/kg, i.v.) and N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (20 mg/kg, i.v.). Pretreatment with methylatropine (1 mg/kg, i.v.), however, reversed the initial but not the delayed bradycardiac and negative inotropic effects of EE. We conclude that systemic administration of the EE of RMR elicited both transient and delayed antihypertensive actions that were mediated by the withdrawal of sympathetic tone and the production of nitric oxide (NO). The negative inotropic and chronotropic effects of EE may result from a direct sympathetic inhibition of the heart as well as an activation of the NO-dependent pathway.

High selective purification of flavonoids from natural plants based on polymeric adsorbent with hydrogen-bonding interaction

The efficient purification method of high purity flavonoids from natural plants was reported. A series of polymeric adsorbents with novel structure were synthesized based on the copolymerization of methyl acrylate (MA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDGMA). Functional groups, such as ester, amino or amide group, were introduced into the adsorbent matrix, respectively, to produce the hydrogen-bonding interaction and enhance the adsorption selectivity towards flavone compounds. The influences of matrix structure and functional groups of synthesized adsorbents on the adsorption selectivity were investigated. The resins were applied to purify flavonoids in natural plants. It was illuminated that the adsorbent No. 3B with 15% EGDMA content and amide groups performed optimal selectivity to flavone compounds in Scutellaria barbata D.Don, from which the purity of flavonoids in extracts was obtained more than 50%, obviously higher than that from commercial adsorbents. The result of adsorption thermodynamics experiment showed that the isosteric adsorption enthalpy of No. 3B was in the range of 25-30 kJ/mol, which testified that the adsorption mechanism was related to hydrogen-bonding interaction. The method showed its universality via good effects on the purification of total flavonoids from Ginkgo biloba L., Radix puerariae and Hypericum perforatum L.