Abstract
We successfully extracted isoliquiritigenin from Glycyrrhiza uralensis through the utilization of an ionic liquid-based ultrasonic-assisted extraction (ILUAE) approach. Briefly, we utilized the solution of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([BMIM]Br) as solvent and optimized key ILUAE parameters such as solid-liquid ratios, concentrations of ionic liquids, and the times of ultrasonication. Based on a single-factor experiment, we utilized the response surface method (RSM) approach to optimize the extraction procedure. The approach revealed that the optimal energy consumption time was 120 min, with the ultrasonic extraction temperature of 60°C. Using these optimized parameters together with the solid-liquid ratio (dried G. uralensis powder: [BMIM]Br of 0.3 mol/L) of 1 : 16.163 and the [BMIM]Br of 0.3 mol/L, we achieved a 0.665 mg/g extraction yield. Overall, these findings thus indicate that we were able to effectively use ILUAE as an efficient approach to reliably extract isoliquiritigenin in a reproducible and environmentally friendly manner.
Highlights
Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch is a plant that is frequently used for traditional medicinal purposes in China [1,2,3]
Isoliquiritigenin is a flavonoid that can be extracted from the roots of G. uralensis, and that has been found to exhibit diverse pharmacological effects following its isolation from Glycyrrhiza species [4,5,6,7,8]
The results showed that the ionic liquids based on Br− was the most efficient of the ionic liquids tested, and [BMIM]Br was selected for subsequent experiments
Summary
Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch (sweet root, sweet grace, or Ural licorice) is a plant that is frequently used for traditional medicinal purposes in China [1,2,3]. Isoliquiritigenin is a flavonoid that can be extracted from the roots of G. uralensis, and that has been found to exhibit diverse pharmacological effects following its isolation from Glycyrrhiza species [4,5,6,7,8]. It has been shown to suppress tumor cell proliferation and to promote apoptotic tumor cell death, exhibiting therapeutic efficacy 20-fold greater than that observed for any other extracts from Glycyrrhiza when used to treat human breast cancer cells [5]. Owing to these promising properties, isoliquiritigenin has attracted substantial interest as a potential pharmaceutical agent. Its relatively low abundance in G. uralensis and its poor solubility have made its extraction for pharmacological research challenging [9,10,11,12,13]
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