D.Ranganath, M A Lourdu Antony Raj
Reserpine a well known phytochemical molecule found in the dried roots of plants such as Rauwolfia Serpentina and Rauwolfia Vomitoria. It is a hypertension drug molecule used in drug formulation. Reserpine ranks as one of the most complex natural product of its size and contains 21 skeletal atoms compactly arranged in five rings. The stereo chemical complexity and biological significance of Reserpine have made it a fascinating target for evaluation of new strategies that are conceived upon emergence of new methods for processing, since the conventional methods of extraction like HPLC, two phase extraction are not economical and efficient. Reverse micellar extraction, a novel method for separation of natural drug molecule has been explored for the purpose based on its success in isolating and separating other bio molecules like matrine and enzymes. Reverse micellar extraction adopts micro emulsions as a media of separation. The present work focuses on use of micro emulsions to enhance the rate of separation and extract Reserpine. The extraction behavior of Reserpine was investigated using reverse micellar extraction. It is found that during the forward extraction fractions of the Reserpine did not vary considerably with an increase in Aerosol OT concentration in the organic phase. However the backward extraction of Reserpine increased by 13% with increasing in concentration of cyclohexane in the stripping aqueous phase. The concentration of Reserpine obtained was analyzed in a UV-Vis spectrophotometer.