Recyclable biphasic enzymatic hydrolysis of Epimedium wushanense extracts to produce Rhamnosyl Icariside II

Rhamnosyl Icariside II, a rare secondary flavonoid glycoside in Epimedium, exhibits superior stability and bioactivity than the primary flavonoid glycosides. Converting primary flavonoid glycoside into Rhamnosyl Icariside II is desirable due to separate extraction methods are inefficient. In this study, a recyclable biphasic enzymatic hydrolysis process of Epimedium wushanense extracts to produce high purity RIc was established and optimised. The biphasic system was created using ethyl acetate and sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) at a ratio of 2:1 (V/V) employed snailase at a ratio of 1 mg enzyme per 1 mg Epimedium flavonoids at 55 °C for 1 h. Consequently, 97.01% of epimedin C in E. wushanense extracts was hydrolysed to Rhamnosyl Icariside II, with 96.63% of the product partitioning into the organic phase. Even after five cycles of use, the conversion ratio remained high at 69.46% and yield of product at 33.87%. The biphasic system developed in this study is highly efficient and convenient, enhancing the commercial value of Epimedium extracts and fully optimising resource utilisation.