EXTRACTION OPTIMIZATION AND PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS ANALYSIS IN FICUS CARICA L. FRUITS BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY METHOD

Abstract

One of the important tasks of modern pharmacology and pharmacy is the search and development of safe and effective medicines. On the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine, there is a trend of development of organic chemistry and the emergence of new synthetic medicines. However, the search and in-depth study of plant raw materials remains relevant, as medicinal products based on it show low toxicity and have high indicators of biological activity. According to literature sources, ripe fruits of Ficus carica L. of the Moraceae family are a promising object for further research. It is known that the fruits of Ficus carica L. contain a whole complex of biologically active substances that provide them with antioxidant, antiinflammatory, choleretic and antispasmodic effects. The aim of the work was to study the qualitative composition and quantitative content of biologically active compounds of phenolic nature in ripe fruits of Ficus carica L. by the method of high-performance liquid chromatography. The fruits of Ficus carica L. were extracted under different conditions and methods of extraction. Various concentrations of the water-ethanol mixture (30%, 50% and 70%) were chosen as the solvent, with a ratio of solvent to plant material of 1:8 and grinding of the plant material to a size of 5 mm. A series of extractions was carried out in a Soxhlet apparatus and by the maceration method until the target product was completely extracted. The main criterion for evaluating the optimal conditions and extraction method was the quantitative content of phenolic compounds, which was determined spectrophotometrically according to the Folin-Chocalteu method in terms of gallic acid. It was established that the optimal conditions that ensure the maximum extraction of polyphenolic compounds from plant raw materials are the use of 70% alcohol as an extractant when using both extraction methods. It has also been proven that higher rates of target product yield are observed when extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus. Using the method of high-performance liquid chromatography at a wavelength of 225 nm, it was established that the extract of Ficus carica L. contains such groups of phenolic compounds as: phenolic acids (101.4 μg/ml), catechins (98.08 μg/ml), catechin-like substances (599.29 μg/ml), flavanols (1.07 μg/ml), flavonol-like (43.10 μg/ml), flavonoids (99.15 μg/ml). The total content of polyphenolic compounds in the studied sample of the extract from the fruits of Ficus carica L. is 1420.28 μg/ml, where the share of unidentified compounds is 478.19 μg/ml.