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Published on: March 31, 2021
Extraction, isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from plants' extracts
S Sasidharan1, Y Chen, D Saravanan
1Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Malaysia. srisasidharan@yahoo.com
Summary
Natural products from edible plants offer diverse compounds for new drug discovery. This paper reviews analytical methods for extracting, isolating, and characterizing these bioactive ingredients, highlighting challenges and techniques.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacognosy
- Analytical Chemistry
- Natural Products Chemistry
Background:
- Medicinal plants provide a vast source of diverse chemical compounds for drug discovery.
- Edible plants are gaining interest for their potential therapeutic bioactive compounds.
- Analyzing these botanicals requires robust extraction, isolation, and characterization methodologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review analytical methodologies for active ingredient analysis in botanicals and herbal preparations.
- To discuss challenges and common problems in extraction, isolation, and characterization.
- To evaluate various extraction techniques and analytical methods.
Main Methods:
- Phytochemical screening assays.
- Chromatographic techniques: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC).
- Non-chromatographic techniques: Immunoassay and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Extraction is a critical first step, with varying strengths and weaknesses among techniques.
- HPLC and TLC are key chromatographic methods for separation and identification.
- FTIR and immunoassay offer complementary non-chromatographic analytical approaches.
Conclusions:
- Effective extraction is crucial for successful analysis of bioactive compounds.
- A combination of chromatographic and non-chromatographic techniques ensures comprehensive characterization.
- Addressing challenges in these analytical steps is vital for natural product drug development.
