Abstract
Apart from its essential oil, Prunus armeniaca L. kernel extract has received only scarce attention. The present study aimed to describe the lipid and polyphenolic composition of the dichloromethane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extracts on the basis of hot extraction, performing analysis by gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. A total of 6 diacylglycerols (DAGs) and 18 triacylglycerols (TAGs) were detected as being present in all extracts, with the predominance of OLL (dilinoleyl-olein), OOL (dioleoyl-linolein), and OOO (triolein), with percentages ranging from 19.0–32.8%, 20.3–23.6%, and 12.1–20.1%, respectively. In further detail, the extraction with ethyl acetate (medium polarity solvent) gave the highest signal for all peaks, followed by chloroform and dichloromethane (more apolar solvent), while the extraction with ethanol (polar solvent) was the least efficient. Ethanol showed very poor signal for the most saturated TAGs, while dichloromethane showed the lowest percentages of DAGs. Accordingly, the screening of the total fatty acid composition revealed the lowest percentage of linoleic acid (C18:2n6) in the dichloromethane extract, which instead contained the highest amount (greater than 60%) of oleic acid (C18:1n9). Polyphenolic compounds with pharmacological effects (anti-tumor, anti-coagulant, and inflammatory), such as coumarin derivative and amygdalin, occurred at a higher amount in ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts.
Highlights
Prunus armeniaca L., known as the “apricot”, belongs to the genus Prunus of the sub-familyPrunoideae and the family Rosaceae [1]
The results indicated that dichloromethane and chloroform had the highest extraction yields, with averages of 8.75 wt % and 6.13 wt %, respectively, which were about twice that of the ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts
This difference in extraction yields was due to the high content of lipids, and dichloromethane and chloroform, as non-polar solvents, are more selective for extracting lipids
Summary
Prunus armeniaca L., known as the “apricot”, belongs to the genus Prunus of the sub-familyPrunoideae and the family Rosaceae [1]. Prunus armeniaca L., known as the “apricot”, belongs to the genus Prunus of the sub-family. Apricot is one of the oldest known oil seed crops, and it plays an important role in the health and vitality of humans. Oil extracts from the kernel of the plant P. armeniaca L. have shown a remarkable pharmacological effect, including high free radical scavenging capacity (antioxidant) [3,4,5]; inhibitory activity against several enzymes in an tumor development experiment [5]; and antinociceptive [6], antimicrobial [4], anticancer [7], anti-inflammatory [8], hepato-protective [9], and cardioprotective activities [10]. The large amount health benefits of P. armeniaca L. kernel begs the investigation of its chemical composition, leading to the identification of polyphenols, lipids, carotenoids, organic acids, amygdalin, and mineral elements. Different classes of polyphenols, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and antocyanins, have been positively identified
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