Eco-Friendly Aqueous Extraction of Momordica charantia Fruits using Gelucire® 44/14: Phytochemical Fingerprinting and Antioxidant Activity

Abstract Conventional extraction methods for isolating phytoactives from Momordica charantia Linn. fruit rely on use of hazardous organic solvents. In this study, phytoactives of Momordica were extracted using an eco-friendly extraction method utilizing Gelucire® 44/14. Additionally, prepared extract was standardized as per CDSCO, India guidelines using LC-MS/MS and HPTLC to claim it as phytopharmaceutical drug. Various ratios of powder with gelucire® 44/14 and gelucire® 50/13 were prepared. Optimization of ratio based on highest percent of Momordicinin recovery. HPTLC method was developed to simultaneously quantify five phytoconstituents viz. β-sitosterol, gallic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, and rutin in the optimized extract (G44MC 1:2 ratio). Extract's antioxidant potential estimated using DPPH, Folin–Ciocalteu, and aluminum chloride colorimetric assays for total phenolic and flavonoid content. Results showed higher extraction of Momordicinin by gelucire® 44/14 (0.56 ± 0.02% w/w) compared to gelucire® 50/13 (0.42 ± 0.07% w/w) and ethanolic extract (0.40 ± 0.06% w/w). G44MC with ratio of 1:2 (fruit powder:gelucire) considered optimized and showed presence of β-sitosterol, gallic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, and rutin analysed using HPTLC method developed for simultaneous estimation. The prepared extract showed concentration dependent antioxidant potential revealed by DPPH assay. Present work reports eco-friendly, efficient, and solvent-free method for extracting phytoactives of momordica.