Extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds from Commiphora gileadensis bark using ultrasonic-assisted extraction

Abstract

Developing nations across the globe place significant importance on ensuring the complete protection, efficacy, and quality of herbal products and medicinal plants. Among these beneficial plants, Commiphora gileadensis stands out due to its diverse array of biological activities. The bark of this plant species offers numerous therapeutic advantages, including its potential for treating wounds, inflammatory conditions, and bacterial infections. To explore the process of extraction of biologically active components, this study employed ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) on ethanolic extracts of C. gileadensis bark. Various variables of UAE process, such as ultrasonic frequency, extraction time, sample-to-solvent ratio, and ethanol concentration, were carefully investigated via the ‘’One-Factor-At-a-Time (OFAT)’’ method to understand their individual impacts on the extraction process. The obtained extracts underwent further analysis to identify the presence of different phytochemicals, employing techniques such as ‘’Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)’’. The experimental results demonstrated that the UAE process yielded promising outcomes, with the maximum extraction yields, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoids content (TFC) of the ethanolic extract from C. gileadensis bark reaching 37.60 ± 0.31 %, 149.75 ± 3.23 mg GAE/g d.w., and 44.84 ± 3.02 mg QE/g d.w., respectively. Additionally, this study successfully identified a total of 30 phenolic compounds present in the C. gileadensis bark extract for the first time, highlighting the efficacy of UAE as a suitable method for efficiently extracting various groups of phytochemicals from the bark of C. gileadensis.