Extraction and analysis of ruscogenins from butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus L.) rhizomes using HPLC

Butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus L.) is a plant with valuable chemical composition and many medical applications. The underground rhizomes of the plant contain steroidal saponins, compounds with proven therapeutic effects and used mostly in treating venous insufficiency. The research aimed to optimise the extraction of saponins from butcher’s broom rhizomes to obtain the highest possible content of active compounds in the dry extract. The extraction was carried out in five variants using pure water or a mixture of water and ethanol as solvents in different potions. Three samples of butcher’s broom rhizomes from Albania, Bulgaria, and Germany were examined for the presence of highest level of sapogenin active ingredient. Results show that Albanian sample has the highest percentage of ruscogenins, and hence Albanian butcher’s broom rhizomes were chosen for the extraction of active ingredient by alcoholic solution with different concentration. The sapogenin content in the extracts was determined by the pharmacopoeial method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A strong, positive correlation was found between ethanol concentration and the content of ruscogenins in the dry extract. The most efficient variant of the extraction turned out to be the use of 50% ethanol as a solvent, where 304 mg of ruscogenins were obtained from 50 g of the raw material.