SOLVENT POLARITY EFFECTS ON PHENOLIC-FLAVONOID COMPOSITION, IN VITRO BIOACTIVITIES, AND FTIR-BASED CHEMOMETRIC CLASSIFICATION OF SOLANUM MAURITIANUM SCOP. LEAF EXTRACTS

Objective: This study aimed to compare the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of Solanum mauritianum Scop. leaf extracts obtained using solvents of different polarities (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water), evaluate their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and classify the extracts using FTIR-based chemometric analysis. Methods: The extracts were prepared by successive maceration. TPC was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method, and TFC was determined using the aluminum chloride colorimetric method with sodium acetate reagents. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay, while anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by the protein denaturation inhibition method. Chemical profiling was performed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy followed by chemometric analysis. Results: The results showed clear differences in TPC, TFC, and biological activities among the extracts. The water extract exhibited the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents and demonstrated the strongest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. FTIR-based chemometric analysis successfully discriminated the extracts according to solvent polarity. Conclusion: These findings indicate that solvent polarity strongly influences the extraction of bioactive compounds and highlight the value of integrating biological assays with chemometric analysis to identify extracts with high bioactive potential.