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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Fractionation of the Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) Leaf Extract Using Macroporous Resin Chromatography and Its Biological Properties
Eun J. Lee 1
,
 
Kyung Y. Yoon 1
 
 
 
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1
Department of Food and Nutrition, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea (South)
 
 
Submission date: 2025-10-16
 
 
Acceptance date: 2026-02-09
 
 
Corresponding author
Kyung Y. Yoon   

Department of Food and Nutrition, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, 38541, Gyeongsansi, Gyeongbuk, Korea (South)
 
 
 
KEYWORDS
deep eutectic solvent
ultrasound-assisted extraction
bioactive components
antioxidant activity
anti-inflammatory activity
antidiabetic activity
 
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the bioactivities of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) leaf extract fractions obtained using deep eutectic solvent (DES) -based ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) followed by macroporous resin chromatography. Four fractions (Fr. 1 – Fr.4) were obtained by elution with ethanol of varying concentration (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, v/v), and subsequently total phenolic content (TPC), total saponin content (TSC), and individual phenolic contents as well as their anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antioxidant activity were determined. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that TSC and TPC were strongly associated with biological activities, including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical scavenging activities, as well as α-glucosidase and nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activities. Fr. 4, characterized by a high TSC (260.95 mg oleanolic acid equivalents (OAE)/g dry weight, DW), exhibited notable anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting NO production by 36.30% at 60 μg/mL. Fr. 3, with TSC of 219.37 mg OAE/g DW and TPC of 53.45 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g DW, showed strong antidiabetic activity with an IC50 value of 0.24 mg/mL for α-glucosidase inhibition. Fr. 2, enriched in phenolic compounds and with high TPC of 104.78 mg GAE/g DW, demonstrated potent antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 0.52 mg/mL and 0.38 mg/mL in DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. These results indicate that macroporous resin chromatography is effective in obtaining fractions enriched in phenolic compounds and saponins from maca leaf extracts prepared by DES-based UAE, highlighting their potential application as functional food ingredients.
FUNDING
This research did not receive any external funding.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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