High Purity Production of Andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata by Using Organic Solvent Nanofiltration and Crystallization
This study aims to develop processes for extracting and purifying andrographolide, a medicinal compound found in Andrographis paniculata. The initial extraction with 95% ethanol was optimized at a ratio of 1:15 (A. paniculata to ethanol) for 12 hours at 40 °C, resulting in an extraction yield of 15.53 mg/g. Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membrane with the molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of approximately 350 Da was investigated for the chlorophyll removal efficiency. The system was able to reduce the contaminant by approximately 60%. Preparative HPLC further purified andrographolide extracts through a 2-time dilution at a flow rate of 15 ml/min resulting in a purity of 85.6%. Vacuum evaporation at 80°C under a vacuum pressure of 15 mBar for 180 min, followed by non-seeded cooling crystallization, achieved a purity level of up to 95.2%. The resulting high-purity compound had limited water solubility and showed a melting point of approximately 220-230°C. These findings suggested potential for scaling up high-purity andrographolide production and its application to other herbs, representing an innovative approach to extracting biologically significant compounds.