Comparison of betulinic acid extraction techniques from Eugenia florida DC (Myrtaeae) leaves

Abstract

Eugenia florida DC belongs to the Myrtaceae family. Previous phytochemical studies with leaves extracts of E. florida revealed the occurrence of triterpenes, such as betulinic acid (BA) which presents a vast literature with different biological activities: anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of different extraction methods (static maceration, dynamic maceration, percolation, soxhlet and ultrasonic waves) to extract BA from the leaves of Eugenia florida. The solvents and particle sizes were also evaluated. The results showed that the better solvents to extract BA were ethyl acetate and chloroform. The highest percentages of BA were obtained by percolation and maceration, probably due to the swelling of the plant material and the renewal of the solvent process. In the assays using different particle sizes of leaves of E. florida, relating to BA recovery and extraction yield, different extraction profiles were observed among the various solvents used. Ethyl acetate and chloroform showed no significant differences in both yields, however 50% of decreasing on extraction efficiency was observed when plant smaller particles were used with methanol and ethanol.