Abstract
Extraction of lipids from biological tissues is a crucial step in lipid analysis. The selection of appropriate solvent is the most critical factor in the efficient extraction of lipids. A mixture of polar (to disrupt the protein-lipid complexes) and nonpolar (to dissolve the neutral lipids) solvents are precisely selected to extract lipids efficiently. In addition, the disintegration of complex and rigid cell-wall of plants, fungi, and microalgal cells by various mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic treatments facilitate the solvent penetration and extraction of lipids. This review discusses the chloroform/methanol-based classical lipid extraction methods and modern modifications of these methods in terms of using healthy and environmentally safe solvents and rapid single-step extraction. At the same time, some adaptations were made to recover the specific lipids. In addition, the high throughput lipid extraction methodologies used for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based plant and animal lipidomics were discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of various pretreatments and extraction methods were also illustrated. Moreover, the emerging green solvents-based lipid extraction method, including supercritical CO2 extraction (SCE), is also discussed.
Highlights
Lipids are essential biomolecules responsible for mediating various physicochemical properties of the membrane and modulating vital cellular functions such as subcellular compartmentalization, trafficking, signaling, and regulation of membrane and non-membrane proteins [1]
The high throughput lipid extraction methodologies used for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based plant and animal lipidomics were discussed
In a comparison among chloroform/methanol (Folch methods) with acetone, ethanol, ethyl acetate, isopropanol, isohexane (2-methylpentane), n-hexane, and subcritical butane for the extraction of lipids and other lipophilic constituents from krill meal, the chloroform/methanol provided the highest yield of total lipids, followed by ethanol and isopropanol, while acetone resulted in the lowest yield [60]
Summary
Lipids are essential biomolecules responsible for mediating various physicochemical properties of the membrane and modulating vital cellular functions such as subcellular compartmentalization, trafficking, signaling, and regulation of membrane and non-membrane proteins [1]. To efficiently extract lipids from biological tissue, a solvent mixture, including polar to disintegrate the lipids from cell membranes and lipoproteins and nonpolar to dissolve the neutral lipids, is desirable This concept was first established by Folch et al [7], who developed an extraction method using a 2:1 (v/v) solvent mixture of chloroform/methanol, followed by purification of the extracts with a salt solution (0.003 N CaCl2 or MgCl2, or 0.05 N NaCl or KCl). In addition to selecting appropriate solvents, the disintegration of complex and rigid cell-wall of plants, fungi, and microalgal cells facilitates the solvent penetration and extraction of lipids [9,10] This is achieved by various mechanical, chemical, and physicochemical, and enzymatic treatments (called pretreatments) before the solvent extraction [11]. The emerging green solvents-based lipid extraction method, including supercritical CO2 extraction (SCE), is discussed
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