Formulation and evaluation of a granulate with antioxidant activity for hard capsules from orange bracts of Bougainvillea glabra Choisy
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study develops a granulate with antioxidant activity for hard gelatin capsules from orange bracts of Bougainvillea glabra Choisy (B. glabra). Although commonly ornamental, this species contains bioactive phytochemicals, including flavonoids, betalains (mainly betaxanthins), and phenolic compounds, which are associated with therapeutic effects against respiratory, inflammatory, and metabolic disorders. In response to the demand for accessible phytopharmaceuticals to manage oxidative stress, a standardized plant-based capsule was formulated. The bracts were collected following WHO guidelines, dried at 40 ± 2 °C, ground (~1 mm), and subjected to hydroalcoholic extraction (ethanol: water 50:50) assisted by ultrasound. The extract was characterized using physicochemical parameters (pH, °Brix, density, and total solids), and total phenolic content was quantified using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power), and TEAC (Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity) assays. The extract was then wet-granulated with pharmaceutical excipients and encapsulated into hard gelatin capsules (size 0) using a semi-automatic capsule filler. Both the granulate and the capsules were evaluated according to United States Pharmacopeia (USP) methods, including moisture content, flowability, particle size distribution, fill uniformity, and disintegration time. Flow properties were calculated using Carr’s and Hausner’s indices. The results revealed a total phenolic content of 53.34 mg GAE/g and high antioxidant capacity expressed as Trolox equivalents (TEAC). The capsules met established quality standards, confirming the potential of B. glabra as an effective, economical natural source of antioxidants for the development of standardized phytomedicines.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- The authors agree to respect the academic information of other authors, and to assign the copyrights to the journal infoANALÍTICA, so that the article can be edited, published and distributed.
- The content of the scientific articles and the publications that appear in the journal is the exclusive responsibility of their authors. The distribution of the articles published in the infoANALÍTICA Journal is done under a Creative Commons Reconocimiento-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional License.
References
Albán, M. S., Echavarría, A. P., & Domínguez, L. D. (2018). Composición nutricional y propiedades funcionales de flores comestibles|Nutritional composition and functional properties of edible flowers. SABER, 30(0), Article 0.
Ansari, P., Reberio, A. D., Ansari, N. J., Kumar, S., Khan, J. T., Chowdhury, S., Abd El-Mordy, F. M., Hannan,J. M. A., Flatt, P. R., Abdel-Wahab, Y. H. A., & Seidel, V. (2025). Therapeutic Potential of Medicinal Plants and Their Phytoconstituents in Diabetes, Cancer, Infections, Cardiovascular Diseases, Inflammation and Gastrointestinal Disorders. Biomedicines, 13(2), Article
2. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedic ines13020454
Caurio, A., Jr, B., Lm, G., Cc, R., Nr, R., S, S., T, E., R, R., Cc,D., & Elg, D. (2024). Protective effect of Bougainvillea glabra Choisy bract in toxicity induced by Paraquat in Drosophila melanogaster. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Toxicology & Pharmacology: CBP, 279. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpc.20 24.109873
Contreras-Miranda, J. A., Ramirez Marin, M. A., Contreras-Miranda, J. A., & Ramirez Marin, M. A. (2022). Uso de plantas medicinales que se comercializan en Guayaquil, Ecuador. Manglar, 19(4), 309-316. https://doi. org/10.57188/manglar.2022.039
Davis, C. C., & Choisy, P. (2024). Medicinal plants meet modern biodiversity science. Current Biology, 34(4), R158-R173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.202 3.12.038
Ekor, M. (2014). The growing use of herbal medicines: Issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 4. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fphar.20 13.00177
Gomez-Bache, U., Navarro, B., & Petricevich, V. L. (2016). Estudio preliminar del efecto hipoglucémico del ex-tracto de Bougainvillea xbuttiana (variedad naran-ja) en modelo murino. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, 47(3), 60-66.
Hidalgo-Sánchez, M. A., Pérez-Cuesta, A. M., Montesdeoca-Erazo, R. V., & Casigña-Guamán, N. S. (2025). Influencia del ultrasonido en la extracción de compuestos bioac-tivos de Piper aduncum L. Código Científico Revista de Investigación, 6(E1), Article E1. https://doi.org/10.55813/ gaea/cc ri/v6/nE1/815
Jaramillo, C., Armijos A., J. C., Cedeño S., R., Campo F., M., & Rojas de Astudillo, L. (2021). Comparación de la relación de fenoles totales, flavonoides y capacidad antioxidante en brácteas de dos variedades de bougain-villea glabra choisy. infoANALÍTICA, 9(1), 167-179.
Jaramillo Jaramillo, C. G., Solano Maza, L. O., Campo Fernández, M., & Rojas De Astudillo, L. (2023). Composición química y actividad antioxidante de hojas de dos variedades de Bougainvillea glabra Choisy: Chemical composition and antioxidant activ-ity of the leaves of two varieties of Bougainvillea gla-bra Choisy. Cumbres, 9(1), 9-20. https://doi.org/10.48190/ cumbre s.v9n1a1
Kenari, R. E., & Razavi, R. (2022). Encapsulation of bou-gainvillea (Bougainvillea spectabilis) flower extract in Urtica dioica L. seed gum: Characterization, anti-oxidant/antimicrobial properties, and in vitro diges-tion. Food Science & Nutrition, 10(10), 3436. https://doi. org/10.1002/fsn3.294 4
Liguori, I., Russo, G., Curcio, F., Bulli, G., Aran, L., Della-Morte, D., Gargiulo, G., Testa, G., Cacciatore, F., Bonaduce, D., & Abete, P. (2018). Oxidative stress, aging, and diseases. Clinical Interventions in Aging, Volume 13, 757-772. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S15 8513
Mahey, P., Sontakke, M., Muchahary, S., Gupta, A. K., Jha, A. K., Kandpal, R., Kunwar, T., & Choudhary, A. (2025). Transforming the therapeutic and nutritional benefits of Bougainvillea flowers for sustainable uses and food security. Discover Food, 5(1), 156. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s44187- 025-00302-z
Markandan, S., Abdullah, A., Musa, K. H., Subramaniam, V., & Stockham, K. (2016). Determination of antioxi-dant activities, total phenolic and flavanoid contents in Bougainvillea glabra bracts at various methanol concen-trations. 030038. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.496677 6
Newman, D., & Cragg, G. (2020). Natural Products as Sources of New Drugs over the Nearly Four Decades from 01/1981 to 09/2019. Journal of Natural Products, 83(3). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatp rod.9b01285
Ornelas García, I., Al, G. B., Fj, A. G., Na, C. V., & D, G. M. (2023). Bougainvillea glabra Choisy (Nyctinaginacea): Review of phytochemistry and antimicrobial potential. Frontiers in Chemistry, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.20 23.1276514
Riaz, M., Fatima, H., Misbah ur Rehman, M., Qadir, R., Hussain, S., Hafeez, A., & Siddique, A. B. (2021). Appraisal of antioxidant potential and biological stud-ies of bogan bail (Bougainvillea glabra) leaf extracts using different solvents. Czech Journal of Food Sciences, 39(3), 176-180. https://doi.org/10.17221/273/202 0-CJFS
Robles Aguilar, M. V., Jaramillo Jaramillo, C., & Rojas de Astudillo, L. (2017). Contenido de betalainas y activi-dad antioxidante en brácteas de Bougainvillea glabra Choisy. Revista cubana de farmacia, 51(2 (abril-junio)), 8.
Rodríguez-Herrera, V. V., García-Cruz, L., & Valle-Guadarrama, S. (2023). Aqueous two-phase extraction: A non-thermal technique to separate and concentrate betalains from Bougainvillea glabra Choisy bracts. Industrial Crops and Products, 193, 116245. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2023.116245
Saleem, H., A, U., Mf, M., & N, A. (2021). Bougainvillea glabra (choisy): A comprehensive review on botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 266. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jep.202 0.113356
Saleem, H., Htar, T. T., Naidu, R., Zengin, G., Ahmad, I., & Ahemad, N. (2020). Phytochemical profiling, anti-oxidant, enzyme inhibition and cytotoxic potential of Bougainvillea glabra flowers. Natural Product Research, 34(18), 2602-2606. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478641
9.2018.1543684
Shah, R. B., Tawakkul, M. A., & Khan, M. A. (2008). Comparative Evaluation of Flow for Pharmaceutical Powders and Granules. AAPS PharmSciTech, 9(1), 250-258. https://doi.org/10.1208/s12249- 008-9046-8
Shalini, M., Aminah, A., Khalid, H. M., Vimala, S., Katherine, S., & Khoo, M. G. H. (2018). In-vitro Antioxidant Activities, Phytoconsituent and Toxicity Evaluation of Local Bougainvillea glabra Bract (Bunga Kertas). International Journal of ChemTech Research, 11(9), 22-30. https://doi.org/10.20902/IJCTR. 2018.110904
Sofowora, A., Ogunbodede, E., & Onayade, A. (2013). The role and place of medicinal plants in the strategies for disease prevention. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 10(5), 210-229. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajtcam.v 10i5.2
WHO, W. H. (2013). WHO traditional medicine strategy: 2014-2023. World Health Organization. https://iris.who. int/handle/10665 /92455