# 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.

## Key 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.