Extraction of quercetin from senna alata (l.) Leaves using ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE)

This study discusses the extraction of querectin from Senna alata (L.) using the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) method. Senna alata (L.) has been reported to have potential anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antifungal properties. Quercetin is a member of flavonoids compound with high anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial that usually used in medicinal product to treat itching, scabies, and ringworm. Quercetin, with its biological and pharmacological effects, improves physical performance, reduces infection risk, and effectively treats inflammatory skin conditions. The study aims (1) to investigate the presence of quercetin in Senna alata (L.) through phytochemical tests, (2) to determine the optimum extraction process parameters using HPLC, and (3) to characterize the flavonoid extract using FTIR. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectrophotometric detection is the chosen method for quantification, allowing the separation and determination of flavonoids in plant extracts based on peak areas or heights. Two parameters studied namely, sonication time (10, 20, 30 mins) and duty cycle (40, 50, 60%). Phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of flavonoids and phenolics in the extracts by seeing its colour changing of white precipitate and dark green. Optimum parameters obtained from the extraction are 20 minutes of sonication resulted 9.842 mg/mL quercetin concentration and 60% of duty cycle recorded 8.787 mg/mL quercetin concentration. FTIR analysis successfully characterized the chemical bonds and functional groups: primary aliphatic alcohols and aliphatic hydrocarbon. Disc diffusion tests demonstrated antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. UAE proved to be an effective green extraction technique for quercetin from S. alata (L.) compared to conventional methods, offering advantages of shorter extraction time, higher yields, reduced solvent usage, and eco-friendliness.