Green extraction of berberine from Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr. using ultrasound-assisted aqueous solutions of organic acids, polyalcohols, and deep eutectic solvents

Abstract

Berberine displays many potential bioactivities and is found in several medicinal herbs, such as Coscinium fenestratum. The extraction of berberine from biomass was carried out using volatile organic solvents, inorganic acid solutions, and more recently, ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents. In order to develop more efficient and sustainable extraction processes, this study used inexpensive green solvents, such as carboxylic acid and polyalcohol aqueous solutions, to extract berberine from Coscinium fenestratum. Initial screening was performed to compare the berberine extraction performance of various solvents, including aqueous solutions of carboxylic acids, polyalcohols, and their deep eutectic solvents. The obtained results showed that lactic acid was a potential solvent for extracting berberine. After optimizing the process using response surface methodology (RSM), the optimal ultrasound-assisted extraction conditions were determined to be a lactic acid concentration of 60 % (w/w), a liquid-to-solid ratio of 17.25 mL/g, an extraction time of 20 min, and an extraction temperature of 66 °C. This resulted in an extraction efficiency of 38.23 ± 0.69 mg/g, corresponding to a berberine concentration of 2.22 ± 0.04 mg/mL. Additionally, the use of lactic acid as the extraction solvent yielded superior extraction efficiency and berberine purity compared to conventional volatile organic solvents, and inorganic acids, bases. The recovery of berberine was achieved using macroporous resins, allowing for the recovery of 99.52 ± 0.67 % of berberine from aqueous lactic acid solutions. The lactic acid solvent and the AB-8 resin were successfully recovered and reused for a minimum of three consecutive extraction cycles, maintaining their full effectiveness throughout the entire process. The recovered berberine from the lactic acid extract exhibited stronger antibacterial activity than the extracts obtained using ethanol, methanol, and acetone, as well as berberine recovered from the limewater and sulfuric acid extracts. Furthermore, the lactic acid solvent and its extracts demonstrated no cytotoxicity toward the human embryonic kidney cell line. The findings of this investigation establish a foundation for future studies utilizing eco-friendly solvents for alkaloid extraction from medicinal plants. This lays the groundwork for implementing a large-scale extraction process of natural active compounds in a safe and environmentally conscious manner.