UNAIR NEWS – Antiplatelets are a class of drugs used as blood thinners. These drugs are often used by people with heart disease to prevent blood clots from forming, and the development related to anti-platelet continues to this day.
One of the chemical compounds being studied is methyl ferulate. Ferulic acid derivatives are reported to have antiplatelet activity when combined with dabigatran which is already on the market. The methyl ferulate compound is an ester compound that can be synthesized by several methods. These include the Fischer esterification reaction, methylation with dimethyl carbonate, methylation with a mixture of BF3 and methanol, and methylation with dimethyl sulfate.
“Esters are generally less stable at high temperatures, so this study was conducted to look at the effect of temperature on the synthesis of methyl ferulates using ultrasonic energy sources,” dr. Juni Ekowati., M.Si., Apt., Researcher and lecturer at Universitas Airlangga.
Juni revealed this research consisted of several stages, namely the first stage was the optimization of temperature and ultrasonic intensity. Optimization is carried out in several conditions, and the reaction is monitored at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 360 minutes. Furthermore, the results of the reaction temperatures are 65oC and 55oC.
“After that, the synthesis results will be analyzed by UV, IR, and HNMR spectrophotometry,” she said.
“Spectral data obtained indicate that the synthesis reaction of methyl ferulate with the Fischer esterification reaction method of ferulic acid and methanol with the help of ultrasonic waves at 65oC and 55oC can produce methyl ferulates, with a higher percentage at 65 oC,” she continued.
The second stage of this research is the determination of the reaction order of methyl ferulant synthesis by the graph method. The experimental results show that the synthesis of methyl ferulate follows a second-order mechanism with a higher reaction rate constant at 65oC.
The next step is testing which is carried out on mice for seven days. The activity of the synthesized methyl ferulate compounds compared with aspirin and the group treated without drugs.
“The experimental results show that the change in carboxylate groups to ester groups led to an increase in blood clotting time by 1.6 times while bleeding time increased by 1.35 times,” Juni said.
Juni mentioned that the use of ultrasonic waves in chemical reactions is very beneficial, especially in compounds that cannot stand high temperatures. In addition to affecting the percentage of synthesis results, the high and low-temperature reaction also affects the reaction rate. (*)
Author: Sukma Cindra Pratiwi
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
Reference:
https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/alchemy/article/view/29914/pdf
Juni Ekowati, Rian Putra Pratama, Kholis A. Nofianti, Nuzul W. Diyah.
The Temperature Effect on Ultrasonic-assisted of Synthesis Methyl Ferulate and Its Antiplatelet Assay. ALCHEMY Jurnal Penelitian Kimia, Vol. 15(2) 2019, 272-286. DOI: 10.20961/alchemy.15.2.29914.272-286
