Microwave-assisted Acid Hydrolysis to Produce Vitexin from Crataegus pinnatifida Leaves and its Angiogenic Activity

Abstract

In this study, microwave-assisted acid hydrolysis (MAAH) to obtain vitexin (VIT) from Crataegus pinnatifida leaves was optimized. The single factor experiment was applied to optimize the operating parameters of MAAH. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) were performed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of extract. The results showed that the optimum parameters of dealing with 1 g sample were 2.0 M hydrochloric acid concentration, 40 min microwave irradiation time, 1:10 solid–liquid ratio, 50% ethanol concentration, 70°C microwave extraction temperature and 600 W microwave power. The yields of VIT were 2.62 mg/g under the optimum conditions. The C. pinnatifida extracted by MAAH exhibited more antioxidant activity than extracted by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). The number of vessels in chick chorioallantoic membrane indicated that C. pinnatifida leaves could promote angiogenesis. These findings suggested that MAAH provides an efficient technique to produce VIT.