Optimization of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Barbatimão) Extraction: Chemical Evaluation, Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

TL;DR

This study optimizes the extraction of Stryphnodendron adstringens, finding that single-step methods using water are safer, more cost-effective, and retain medicinal properties.

Contribution

The study introduces a single-step, water-based extraction method for S. adstringens that balances safety, cost, and efficacy for industrial use.

Findings

Single-step extraction with water produced safe, effective, and high-yield polyphenol-rich extracts.

All extracts showed over 70% cell viability and reduced inflammatory cytokine production.

Two-step organic extraction was less practical due to higher costs and use of toxic solvents.

Abstract

Extracts from the stem bark of Stryphnodendron adstringens (barbatimão) exhibit relevant medicinal properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and wound-healing activities, which reinforce their potential for developing herbal medicines. The $550 billion plant bioactive market (by 2030) demands safer, green-chemistry-aligned extraction methods for responsible industrial scaling. In this study, dry extracts obtained from the stem bark of S. adstringens were obtained by ultrasound-assisted maceration in one- and two-step extraction systems. Parameters such as yield, solvent evaporation time, cost, acute toxicity, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) concentration, cell viability, antioxidant potential, and anti-inflammatory activity were evaluated. High-EGCG two-step organic extracts were industrially difficult, needing more raw material and toxic solvents. In contrast, the single-step extracts showed a better balance between yield, cost, safety, and biological efficacy. All extracts showed cell viability above 70% at safe concentrations and significantly reduced the production of inflammatory cytokines. Thus, the results confirm that optimizing single-step extraction, with lower environmental impact solvents, enables producing safe and effective polyphenol-rich extracts, consolidating water as the main candidate for industrial-scale phytotherapeutic formulations of barbatimão, in line with its traditional use in infusions.

Figures