Comparing extraction efficacy of different solvents to extract Acorus calamus by using HPLC

Acorus calamus L. (A. calamus) is an herbaceous perennial plant, cultivated in the wetland where the water stagnation is possible. The solvent extract of A. calamus rhizome has shown insecticidal activity against many insects. The β-asarone was the predominant bioactive compound responsible for insecticidal action. The aim of this study is to identify the efficiency of different solvent to extract β- asarone from A. calamus rhizome. The extraction was done using soxhlet apparatus with a different solvent like chloroform, acetone, methanol, hexane and ethyl acetate. The amount of β- asarone present in each extract was quantified with High Performance Liquid Chromatography– Photo Diode Array (HPLC-PDA). Among the solvent extract tested, the result revealed that extraction efficiency follows the order: methanol> ethyl acetate>hexane>acetone>chloroform. The β- asarone was highest in methanol extract 9,80,840 µg g-1 (98.08%). The minimum extraction efficiency was recorded in chloroform extract 88,872µg g-1 (8.88%). The extraction efficacy was high in polar solvent like methanol followed by dipolar aprotic solvents like ethyl acetate and acetone. The less extraction efficiency was observed in non-polar solvent like chloroform.