# Characterization and Biological Activity of Rutin Extracted from Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim

## TL;DR

This study explores Filipendula ulmaria as a new source of rutin, a flavonoid that helps regulate blood sugar and liver health in rats.

## Contribution

Filipendula ulmaria is identified as a novel and efficient source of rutin with higher extraction yield than previously reported.

## Key findings

- Rutin extracted from Filipendula ulmaria has 95 wt% purity and 2.85% extraction yield.
- The rutin normalizes blood glucose, insulin resistance, and liver dystrophy in rats on high-fat diets.
- Rutin improves lipid profiles and reduces liver steatosis indicators in tested animals.

## Abstract

In this work, Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim, a perennial herbaceous plant from the Rosaceae family, was considered a novel source of obtaining rutin for pharmaceutical purposes. Rutin was extracted from the plant parts collected in the flowering summer period and dried at 40 ± 3 °C. The process was carried out using the ethanol extraction and fractionation of extracted compounds, and it yields the 95 wt% purity crystalline product. The phase composition of the extracted rutin was verified by the XRD analysis and NMR measurements. It was found that 2.85% of rutin could be extracted from Filipendula ulmaria, which is 1.2 times higher than the results of similar studies. The biological activity of the isolated rutin was tested on rats. It was established in vivo that the extracted rutin normalizes blood glucose levels (glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR index) and reduces the severity of dystrophic changes in the liver caused by high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets. The introduction of rutin corrects lipid profile indicators (triglycerides, cholesterol, cholesterol fractions in lipoproteins and atherogenic indices), cytolysis indicators of hepatocytes, and liver steatosis (ALT, AST/ALT, triglycerides). Thus, the novel source of rutin opens the possibility for a wide use of this flavonoid in the food technology and pharmaceutical industry.