Medicago lupulina is an ancient edible plant from the Fabaceae family. In this work, two eco-friendly methods for extraction of bioactive phenolics from M. lupulina were developed using mixtures of water with two non-toxic, skin- and environmentally-friendly polyol solvents: glycerol and polypropylene glycol. Ultrasound-assisted extractions were optimized using a Box-Behnken design. The independent variables were the concentration of organic solvent in water (X1), extraction temperature (X2) and time (X3), while the response was phenolic content. The optimum conditions for extraction of polyphenols were (X1, X2, X3): (45%, 70 °C, 60 min) and (10%, 80 °C, 60 min) for glycerol and polypropylene glycol extraction, respectively. The extracts prepared at optimum conditions were rich in phenolic compounds, mainly derivatives of apigenin, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin, caffeic and ferulic acid, as well as coumestrol. Their cosmeceutical and antidiabetic activity was tested. Both extracts demonstrated notable antioxidant, anti-lipoxygenase and anti-α-amylase activity. In addition to those activities, the glycerol extract efficiently inhibited protein coagulation, elastase and α-glucosidase activity. Glycerol present in the extract displayed enzyme-inhibiting activity in several assays and supported the action of the bioactive constituents. Thus, the optimized glycerol extract is a desirable candidate for direct incorporation in antidiabetic food supplements and cosmeceutical products.
Keywords: Medicago lupulina; eco-friendly extraction; glycerol; polyphenols; response surface methodology.