Exploring traditional and modern approaches for extracting bioactive compounds from Ferulago trachycarpa

Abstract

For more than two millennia, Ferulago species have been revered as therapeutic herbs, maintaining their significance in present-day folk medicine practices. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the phytochemical composition, inhibitory effects on metabolic enzymes, and possible therapeutic applications of F. trachycarpa, specifically focusing on its efficacy in diabetes management, anticholinergic effects, and antioxidant capabilities. The current investigation comprised an evaluation of a range of extracts acquired via conventional and modern methodologies, such as soxhlet (SOX), maceration (MAC) accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), homogenizer-assisted extraction (HAE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction (MW), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Various techniques were employed to assess their antioxidant capacity and enzyme inhibition. Furthermore, the research utilized ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-MS/MS (UHPLC-MS/MS) to ascertain the principal phenolic compounds that are responsible for the antioxidant capacity observed in the various F. trachycarpa extracts. Among these, extracts from HAE, ASE, and MW revealed the most promise across all methodologies tested for their antioxidant potential. Furthermore, SFE and MAC extracts inhibited the most enzymes, including cholinesterases, tyrosinase, α -amylase, and α -glycosidase, indicating their potential as efficient natural treatments for several health-related issues.

Keywords:

• Antioxidant
• enzyme inhibition
• Ferulago trachycarpa
• supercritical fluid extraction
• UHPLC-MS/MS
• ultrasound

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and materials

Data are available upon reasonable requests from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

Authors are grateful to the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia for supporting this research through the BioUtilize project (7750168) “Novel extracts and bioactive compounds from under-utilized resources for high-value applications” as well as to the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (program number: 451-03-66/2024-03/200134).