Mathematical Model of the Hydrotropic Microwave Assisted Extraction of Anti Malarial Agent from Andrographis Paniculata

Abstract

The drugs traditionally used to treat uncomplicated malaria have become ineffective, due to the development of drug resistance. It has led to a widespread promotion of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) as a strategy for effective management of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The main drawback of the ACTs is their high cost. Hence, many phytoconstituents are currently investigated for their antimalarial activity. One of them is andrographolide of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. A combination of microwave assisted-extraction and the utilization of hydrotrope as the extraction medium is already proved as a potential safe alternative for the separation of andrographolide. Mathematical models of extraction plays a crucial role in basic research of phytoconstituent separation; they are not yet available for hydrotropic-microwave assisted extraction of andrographolide. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a scientific study in this field. The mathematical model is a useful engineering tool for equipment optimization, simulation, design and control, allowing theoretical description of the process and evaluation of the kinetic constant. The aim of this work was to model the kinetics of hydrotropic-microwave assisted extraction of andrographolide. The kinetics of hydrotropic-microwave assisted extraction of andrographolide was studied for two different powers of the microwave extractor (10% and 30%). A second order kinetic model describes the solid liquid extraction process of andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall.