Authors: Ujjwal Kumar, Ritik Kumar, Kavita kumari, Nitika Vats
Abstract: Apigenin is a low-toxicity flavonoid with several beneficial bioactivities. It is a secondary metabolite bioflavonoid that shows pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, anticancer, antidiarrheal, antiemetic, and hemostatic effects. Apigenin is extracted from different parts of parsley plants by using the Soxhlet Extraction method. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), a flowering species of the Apiaceae family, is native to Greece, Morocco, and the former Yugoslavia. In traditional medicine, parsley has been used as a carminative, gastrotonic, diuretic, urinary tract antiseptic, anti-urolithiasis, antidote, and anti-inflammatory agent. It is also used for treating dermal diseases, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension, cardiac and urinary diseases, otitis, cold, and diabetes. Apigenin is a phytochemical that occurs along with tannins, alkaloids, triterpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, and saponins. Rich in parsley, celery, celeriac, and chamomile tea, apigenin has health-promoting properties, including use as a natural sleep aid, antidiabetic, and anticancer compound. This flavonoid induces relaxation as it binds to brain receptors that promote sleep. The main aim of this paper is to extract apigenin flavonoid from parsley plant parts. Parsley leaves and flowers are abundant in phenolic compounds, present as aglycones (flavones and flavonols) and glycosides. In this study, apigenin was extracted from parsley leaves using Soxhlet extraction, followed by hydrolysis and recrystallization. A combination of apigenin and lecithin was also synthesized using a solvent method. Several extraction parameters were tested to evaluate yield, with Soxhlet extraction 5.5 h, 65 °C, solid-to-solvent ratio 8:400 as the reference and the purification done by colume chromotography. UV-Visible analysis confirmed that the structure of apigenin remained stable after extraction and purification.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18058776