Abstract
The effect of different extraction methods of rosemary leaves on the total phenolic content (TPC), and the antioxidant activity of the extracts was herein investigated. Firstly, the solid-liquid conventional extraction (CEM) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were implemented in an effort to identify the effect of the solvent and of microwave irradiation on the extract quality. The extract obtained from CEM at room temperature, using ethanol/water 95:5 v/v, showed the highest antioxidant activity (IC50 = 12.1 μg/mL). MAE using ethanol/water 50:50 v/v provided an extract with TPC and DPPH radical scavenging ability in a significantly shorter extraction time (1 h for MAE and 24 h for CEM). Enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) using five commercial enzyme formulations was implemented, and the kinetic equation was calculated. Finally, the effect of EAE as a pretreatment method to CEM was examined. Pretreatment of the plant material with pectinolytic enzymes for 1 h prior to a 24 h CEM with 50% hydroethanolic solvent was found to be the optimum conditions for the extraction of rosemary leaves, providing an extract with higher DPPH radical scavenging ability (IC50 14.3 ± 0.8 μg/mL) and TPC (15.2 ± 0.3 mgGAE/grosemary) than the corresponding extract without the enzyme pretreatment.
Highlights
Rosmarinus officinalis L., commonly known as rosemary, is a perennial herb, a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region
The total phenolic content (TPC) of the extracts obtained by Conventional Extraction Method (CEM) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) using different ethanol/water solutions
It is apparent that the ethanol/water ratio affects the concentration of the extracted phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidant activity of the extract
Summary
Rosmarinus officinalis L., commonly known as rosemary, is a perennial herb, a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region. As well as rosemary essential oil, are rich sources of phytochemicals and exhibit a wide range of bioactivity [1]. Rosemary leaf ethanolic extracts possess potent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties [2,3,4] and have found applications in food preservation. As part of the global interest in exploring natural products as pharmaceutical agents, the ability of rosemary extracts, as well as selected phytochemicals isolated from these extracts, to inhibit cancer cell proliferation has been studied in vitro on various cell lines as well as in vivo on animal models. The results confirm the promising anticancer and cytotoxic properties of rosemary extracts [5,6,7]. The wide therapeutic potential of rosemary extracts is complemented by potent anti-inflammatory and antidepressant activities [8,9]
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