Optimizing polyphenol extraction from <i>Anacyclus pyrethrum</i> var. <i>depressus</i> (Ball) Maire roots: a simplex-centroid mixture design approach

Abstract

Background: Anacyclus pyrethrum var.depressus (Ball) Maire is a medicinal plant whose roots have been reported to possess medicinal properties in traditional and modern medicine systems.Objective: The present work aims to maximize the extraction of polyphenols and compounds with antioxidant properties by applying the Simplex-Centroid Mixture Design.Methods: Eleven solvents were tested for their affinities with A. pyrethrum bioactive molecules, and the three best solvents (water, methanol, and ethanol) were subjected to mixing modeling for optimization, and different models were developed to study the binary and ternary combined effects.Extract fractionation was performed using four solvents namely Chloroform, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and hexane.The evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the fractions was performed using various tests (TAC, DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, chelating power, and nitric oxide scavenging activity). Results:The developed models and all their parameters were significant.The analysis of the response surfaces generated by the models indicated that the quantity of phenolic compounds extracted in the binary mixtures and the total antioxidant activity of the extracts increase with the increasing water percent in the solvent mixture using both ethanol or methanol.While, the binary "water-ethanol", and "water-methanol" and the ternary mixture proved to be the most effective combinations for extracting anti-radical compounds.Fractionation results showed that the aqueous fraction exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, due to its higher content of phenolic compounds.Conclusion: With this type of research, it would be easier to treat and prevent human damage from free radicals and also replace synthetic antioxidants in industry.