Development and Validation of a HPLC-UV Method for the Evaluation of Ellagic Acid in Liquid Extracts of Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) Leaves and Its Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Optimization

• Main Authors: Paulo Isaac Dias Assunção, Edemilson Cardoso da Conceição, Leonardo Luiz Borges, Joelma Abadia Marciano de Paula
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2017-01-01
• Series: Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/1501038

A simple HPLC-UV method has been developed and validated for the quantification of ellagic acid (EA) in ethanol extracts of Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) leaves. The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) optimization was performed using a Box Behnken design (33) combined with response surface methodology to study the effects of the ethanol concentration (%, w/w), extraction time (minutes), and temperature (°C) on the EA concentration. The optimized results showed that the highest extraction yield of EA by UAE was 26.0 μg mL−1 when using 44% (w/w) ethanol as the solvent, 22 minutes as the extraction time, and 59°C as the extraction temperature. The concentration of EA in relation to the predicted value was 93.7%  ±  0.4. UAE showed a strong potential for EA extraction.