Analysis of Polyphenols from Polygala major Jacq

Plant polyphenols have significant importance due to their potential health benefits. Polygala major Jacq. is commonly found in Asia and has a long history of use in traditional medicine. This study investigated the extraction of polyphenols from the leaves and flowers of P. major Jacq. using various solvents (acetone, ethanol, and methanol) and employing two extraction methods: maceration and ultrasonication. Significant amounts of total phenolics were detected in all conditions, measuring between 26.69 and 48.51 mg GAE/g dry matter, with the highest concentration found in the ultrasonicated ethanol extract from the leaves. Compared to the other solvents, acetone was particularly effective in extracting flavonoids from the leaves. The antioxidant activities ranged from 0.65 to 0.86 mg TE/g dry matter, as determined by the DPPH radical scavenging activity method. The leaf extract displayed antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, while the flower extract had no antibacterial activity. UV-Vis spectroscopy and FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of polyphenols in the extracts. According to LCMS analyses, a total of 67 compounds were identified in the leaves and flowers, including several that are pharmaceutically significant, such as eupatorin, sinensetin, acacetin, ombuin, vanillic acid, sinapic acid, apigenin, naringenin, and luteolin.