Qualitative and quantitative comparison of rutin, quercetin and gallic acid concentrations in Syrian Capparis spinosa. L Leaves

Flavonoids and their glycosides are the most common secondary metabolites found in plant kingdom. They are known to have positive effects on human health by increasing resistance to different chronic diseases. Rutin and quercetine are considered the most important flavonoids. The current study aimed to find the optimal method for extraction of antidiabetic active ingredients from Syrian Capparis Spinosa. L leaves. They mainly include flavonoids (e.g. quercetin), glycosides (e.g. rutin) and simple phenols (e.g. gallic acid). The qualitative detection of these ingredients showed that the optimal extraction method of the leaves was Soxhlet method. Ethanol (80%) was the best extraction solvent to test flavonoids. On the other hand, ethylacetate showed more effectiveness in glycosides extraction. By using Soxhlet method and ethanol as a solvent for the extraction from (100g) Capparis spinosa leaves, 2.728g rutin, 8.754g quercetin and 0.543g gallic acid were sequestered. However, using the same Soxhlet method with ethylacetate as a solvent, only 0.401g rutin and 3.389g quercetin were sequestered. HPLTC method was effective for the separation of rutin, quercetin and gallic acid, and showed that leaves are rich in antidiabetic active ingredients, that it will be beneficial for the pharmaceutical industry of antidiabetic drugs.