Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata: Effect of the Solvent Flow Rate, Pressure, and Temperature*

Andrographis paniculata Nees has been extensively used for traditional medicine and help against fever, dysentery, diarrhoea, inflammation, and sore throat. In this study, andrographolide, the main component of this plant was extracted from the leaves of A. paniculata using supercritical carbon dioxide. The operating pressures were varied from 7.50 to 20MPa, the temperatures were varied from 30°C to 60°C, and the flow rates were varied from 0.5 to 4ml·min-1. The best extraction condition occurred at 10MPa, 40°C, and a flow rate of 2ml·min-1 for a 3g sample of A. paniculata ground-dried leaves. The measured extraction rate was found to be about 0.0174g of andrographolide per gram of andrographolide present in the leaves per hour of operation. The future studies must focus on the interaction between the various operating parameters such as temperature, pressure, and flow rate of supercritical carbon dioxide.