Selective extraction of plant bioactive compounds with deep eutectic solvents: Iris sibirica L. as example

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are emerging as versatile extraction solvents due to their tunable properties.
• Limited research exists on how different DES compositions impact plant metabolomic profiling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the efficacy of various DESs in extracting bioactive compounds from Iris sibirica L.
• To determine the influence of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors in DESs on plant metabolomic profiles.

Main Methods:

• DESs were synthesized using choline chloride or tetrabutylammonium bromide with different hydrogen bond donors.
• Extraction of bioactive substances from I. sibirica L. was performed using these DESs.
• High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and quadrupole mass spectrometry (Q-MS) were employed for analysis.

Main Results:

• Chromatographic profiles of I. sibirica L. were successfully obtained using eight choline chloride DESs and six tetrabutylammonium DESs.
• Selective recovery of bioactive compounds was achieved by modifying DES composition.
• Eleven phenolic compounds were identified, and novel flavonoid derivatives were detected in DES extracts compared to methanol extracts.

Conclusions:

• DESs can be utilized for plant extraction without water, offering a greener alternative.
• The selectivity of DES extraction is dependent on the hydrogen bond donor and acceptor composition.
• Choline chloride-based DESs, especially choline chloride-lactic acid (1:1), showed the most promising results, closely matching methanol profiles and enhancing extraction efficiency up to 2.6-fold.