Advancements in Detecting Kaempferol

Scientists from the University of Innsbruck in Innsbruck, Austria, the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in Hamadan, Iran, Salahaddin University-Erbil in Erbil, Iraq, Tishk International University in Erbil, Iraq, and Al-Balqa Applied University (BAU) in Al-Salt Jordan reflected on different advancements made in extracting, purifying, and quantifying kaempferol, a natural product present in various sources. Their findings were later published in the Journal of Chromatography A (1).

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Natural products are biologically active, naturally occurring functional ingredients that come from different natural sources, including plants. More than 250,000 plant species exist, with 4000 new natural products being found annually. These products can heavily rely on natural products to cure different illnesses in people, with plants being a major source of materials for making new medications. Flavonoids, consisting of over 9000 individual compounds, are a type of natural product that can be divided into various subclasses, including flavonols, flavones, and athocyanidins. One of the most notable flavonoids is kaempferol.

Kaempferol (3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one) is an essential flavonol that is used for various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer. Authors have found this compound in various sources, such as edible plants (including onion, mustard, broccoli, and spinach) and medicinal plants (Foeniculum vulgare, Levisticum officinale, Ginkgo biloba, Tilia spp, Equisetum spp, Moringa oleifera, Sophora japonica, and so on). However, despite its growing use, there has been a lack of a comprehensive summary of the methods and plant sources reported for this compound, which is concerning given kaempferol’s various biological applications.

For this study, the scientists aimed to provide a detailed compilation of sources and analytical information precisely related to kaempferol. According to the scientists, there is a research trend that supports applying modern eco-friendly instruments and methods to detecting kaempferol.

Comparing analytical processes may not be a fair endeavor, the scientists wrote. This is because there can be differences in analytical settings, plant-based matrices, laboratory analytical tools and facilities, and whatever a scientist’s primary goals may be with their research. However, for kaempferol extraction, the scientists declared the most common methods of choice to be classic extraction methods; this stems from their low prices and having more accessible types of equipment. To save time and the amount of solvent that is consumed, then advanced extraction methods could be the best choice. Further, advanced methods are more adaptable procedures when it comes to environmentally-friendly performances.

Ethanol and methanol were the most common solvents used to extract natural products in studies that involved kaempferol detection. Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) were the most popular methods for simultaneously identifying and quantifying kaempferol and its derivatives, mostly due to their acceptable quantitative precision and accuracy. However, recent interest has grown towards using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled alongside different mass detectors for identifying natural products in plant matrices, with kaempferol and its derivatives being no exception. While capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) has been thought to be an appropriate alternative to HPLC, current literature claims that the tendency to use CZE is not comparable to that of HPLC.

Through state-of-the-art analytical technologies, scientists can assess and evaluate the quantity and quality of natural sources for discovering promising pharmaceutical compounds. As we improve, validate, and optimize existing technologies, they can help further our understanding of various aspects of our world.

References

(1) Norouzi, H.; Dastan, D.; Abdullah, F. O.; Al-Qaaneh, A. M. Recent Advances in Methods of Extraction, Pre-Concentration, Purification, Identification, and Quantification of Kaempferol. J. Chromatogr. A 2024, 1735, 465297. DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.465297