Impact of Drying Method and Solvent Extraction on Ethiopian Verbascum sinaiticum (Qetetina) Leaves: Metabolite Profiling and Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different drying methods on bioactive compounds and to analyze their composition in Verbascum sinaiticum (V. sinaiticum) leaf extracts using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. V. sinaiticum is traditionally used as an herbal medicine, yet it has undergone limited scientific investigations regarding its secondary metabolites. V. sinaiticum leaves were dried using oven dryers at 50 degrees C, 60 degrees C, and 70 degrees C, as well as a freeze dryer. The leaves were then extracted using 50% and 70% aqueous ethanol and 100% aqueous solutions. The results showed that the highest contents of TPC and TFC were observed when 70% aqueous ethanol was used during freeze drying, reaching 181.73 mg GAE/g dw and 78.57 mg CE/g dw, respectively. The strongest correlations were observed between the TFC and DPPH radical scavenging activity (0.9082), followed by TPC and ABTS assays (0.8933) and TPC and DPPH (0.8272). In the FTIR analysis, freeze drying exhibited a lower intensity of the phenolic -OH functional groups, contrasting with significant denaturation observed during oven drying at 70 degrees C. Metabolite analysis identified 29 compounds in V. sinaiticum leaves, further confirming the presence of 14 phenolic and flavonoid compounds, including kaempferol, catechin, gallic acid, and myricetin derivatives, consistent with the experimentally observed antioxidant capacity. This study highlights the impact of drying methods on the bioactive composition of V. sinaiticum and underscores its potential as a source of antioxidants for food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications.