We examined the application of six different resins with the aim of selecting a macroporous resin suitable for purifying Acanthopanax senticosus total flavonoids (ASTFs) from Acanthopanax senticosus crude extract (EAS) by comparing their adsorption/desorption capacities, which led to the selection of HPD-600. Research on the adsorption mechanism showed that the adsorption process had pseudo-second-order kinetics and fit the Freundlich adsorption model. Moreover, the analysis of thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The optimal conditions for purification of ASTFs were determined as sample pH of 3, 60% ethanol concentration, and 3 BV·h⁻¹ flow rate, for both adsorption and desorption, using volumes of 2.5 and 4 BV, respectively. The application of macroporous resin HPD-600 to enrich ASTFs resulted in an increase in the purity of total flavonoids, from 28.79% to 50.57%. Additionally, the antioxidant capacity of ASTFs was higher than that of EAS, but both were lower than that of L-ascorbic acid. The changes in ASTFs compositions were determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS), with the results illustrating that the levels of seven major flavonoids of ASTFs were increased compared to that in the crude extract.

In order to improve the aqueous solubility and enhance the bioavailability of Hyperoside (Hyp), three inclusion complexes (ICs) of Hyp with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (2H-β-CD), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (M-β-CD) were prepared using the ultrasonic method. The characterization of the inclusion complexes (ICs) was achieved using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR). The effects of the ICs on the solubility and antioxidant activity of Hyp were investigated. A Job’s plot revealed that the Hyp formed ICs with three kinds of cyclodextrin (CD), all at a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. The FTIR, SEM, XRPD, TLC, and ¹H NMR results confirmed the formation of inclusion complexes. The water solubility of the IC of Hyp with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin was enhanced 9-fold compared to the solubility of the original Hyp. The antioxidant activity tests showed that the inclusion complexes had higher antioxidant activities compared to free Hyp in vitro and the H₂O₂–RAW264.7 cell model. Therefore, encapsulation with CDs can not only improve Hyp’s water solubility but can also enhance its biological activity, which provides useful information for the potential application of complexation with Hyp in a clinical context.

Flavonoids are one of the important active ingredients from Acanthopanax senticosus, with a variety of biological functions, such as antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The aim of this work was to investigate enzyme-assisted ultrasonic extraction of A. senticosus flavonoids and their enrichment and antioxidant properties. We found that the optimal extraction process after Box–Behnken response surface optimization had the following parameters: a 3:2 ratio of cellulase to pectinase, enzyme mixture amount of 6960 U g⁻¹, enzyme treatment time of 59.80 min; temperature of 53.70 °C, and pH value of 6.05. The yield of total flavonoids reached 36.95 ± 0.05 mg g⁻¹. The results for different polar solvent enrichments showed that the highest flavonoid (61.0 ± 0.344 mg g⁻¹), polyphenol (24.93 ± 0.234 mg g⁻¹), and saponin (17.80 ± 0.586 mg g⁻¹) contents were observed in the 1-butanol fraction, and the highest polysaccharide content (20.04 ± 0.783 mg g⁻¹) was in the water fraction. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the antioxidant potential of the extract was related to the higher amount of flavonoids and phenolics in the extract. We thus found an effective A. senticosus flavonoid extraction and enrichment procedure, which can serve as a reference method.