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Advanced Research on Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 7854

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Dr. Ana Rita Xavier De Jesus Gameiro

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LAQV, Requimte, Departamento de Química, Nova School of Science and Technology, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: green chemistry; deep eutectic systems; drug discovery; pharmaceuticals; extraction
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Dr. Rita Craveiro

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Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: DES; NADES; thermophysical studies biocatalysis; gas absorption; supercritical fluids; green chemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Primary metabolites such as sugars, amino acids, and organic acids are mainly found in solid form, but when combined at a specific molar ratio, a high melting-point depression occurs, and the mixture becomes liquid at or near room temperature. These are the so-called natural deep eutectic systems (NADESs).

NADESs are a new generation of alternative solvents that have been widely explored in many fields including biochemistry, chemistry, physics, and materials. These new solvents are easy to prepare, and their preparation is highly cost-effective with zero waste. Furthermore, they can be task-specific and tailor-made which makes them exceptional solvents for many applications.

This Special Issue is dedicated to recent developments in the fundamentals of NADES, as well as their use in the fields of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, (bio)catalysis, and materials. Original research (communications, full papers, and reviews) that discuss innovative developments in the field of NADESs is welcome.

Dr. Ana Rita Xavier De Jesus Gameiro
Dr. Rita Craveiro
Guest Editors

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Research

14 pages, 1197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deep Eutectic Solvents Formed by Glycerol and Xylitol, Fructose and Sorbitol: Effect of the Different Sugars in Their Physicochemical Properties

by Laura Lomba, Álvaro Werner, Beatriz Giner and Carlos Lafuente

Molecules 2023, 28(16), 6023; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28166023 - 11 Aug 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2323

Abstract

The search for new eutectic solvents for different applications (extraction, drug formulation, chemical reactions, etc.) is booming thanks to their high solubility capacity and low toxicity. However, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive physicochemical characterization of these mixtures to understand the molecular behavior at different experimental conditions. In this study, three deep eutectic solvents (DESs) formed by glycerol and xylitol, fructose and sorbitol and water in the molar ratio 1:2:3 were prepared and several physicochemical properties (refractive index, density, surface tension, viscosity, speed of sound, isobaric heat capacity and isentropic compressibility) were measured and analyzed in the 278.15–338.15 K temperature range. The results indicate a linear dependence with temperature for the following properties: surface tension, refractive index, density and isobaric molar heat capacity while viscosity values have been fitted to the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann equation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents)

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18 pages, 4178 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determination of Flavonoid Compounds in Shanxi Aged Vinegars Based on Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvent VALLME-HPLC Method: Assessment of the Environmental Impact of the Developed Method

by Baoqing Bai, Yanli Guo, Siyuan Meng, Shujun Chen, Tao Bo, Jinhua Zhang, Dan Shen, Yifei Liu, Yukun Yang and Sanhong Fan

Molecules 2023, 28(14), 5619; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28145619 - 24 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1927

Abstract

This research presents a novel, eco-friendly, vortex-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction (VALLME) approach, integrating hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with HPLC for the identification and quantification of nine specific flavonoids in Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV). The parameters of DES-VALLME, including the ratio of trioctylmethylammonium chloride to 1,4-butanediol (1:6), DES volume (150 μL), vortex duration (5 min), the concentration of NaCl (0.40 g), and centrifugation time (10 min), were optimized to achieve the maximum extraction efficiency of target substances. Under these optimal conditions, quantitative analyses performed via HPLC demonstrated a broad linear range of 0.20–50.00 μg/mL and correlation coefficients (r²) greater than 0.9944 for all nine calibration curves. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.09–0.18 μg/mL and 0.30–0.60 μg/mL, respectively, ensuring high sensitivity. The relative standard deviations for intra-day and inter-day variability were within the acceptable range, 2.34–3.77% and 3.04–4.96%, respectively, demonstrating the method’s reliability. The recovery rates ranged from 85.97% to 108.11%, underscoring the method’s precision. This technique exhibited a significant enrichment effect (enrichment factor: 43 to 296) on SAV flavonoids. Notably, the eco-friendliness of this procedure was evaluated using the Analytical Eco-Scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index, and Analytical Greenness Metric. The results suggested that this technique is a viable green alternative to traditional flavonoid determination methods in SAV. In summary, this novel method provides a theoretical basis for assessing flavonoid content in SAV samples and tracing SAV products. This contribution has significant implications for enhancing analytical techniques in food chemistry and environmental science and the sustainable development of the food industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents)

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17 pages, 5450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deep Eutectic Liquids as a Topical Vehicle for Tadalafil: Characterisation and Potential Wound Healing and Antimicrobial Activity

by Bayan Alkhawaja, Faisal Al-Akayleh, Ashraf Al-Khateeb, Jehad Nasereddin, Bayan Y. Ghanim, Albert Bolhuis, Nisrein Jaber, Mayyas Al-Remawi and Nidal A. Qinna

Molecules 2023, 28(5), 2402; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28052402 - 6 Mar 2023

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2978

Abstract

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and ionic liquids (ILs) offer novel opportunities for several pharmaceutical applications. Their tunable properties offer control over their design and applications. Choline chloride (CC)-based DESs (referred to as Type III eutectics) offer superior advantages for various pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications. Here, CC-based DESs of tadalafil (TDF), a selective phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) enzyme inhibitor, were designed for implementation in wound healing. The adopted approach provides formulations for the topical application of TDF, hence avoiding systemic exposure. To this end, the DESs were chosen based on their suitability for topical application. Then, DES formulations of TDF were prepared, yielding a tremendous increase in the equilibrium solubility of TDF. Lidocaine (LDC) was included in the formulation with TDF to provide a local anaesthetic effect, forming F01. The addition of propylene glycol (PG) to the formulation was attempted to reduce the viscosity, forming F02. The formulations were fully characterised using NMR, FTIR and DCS techniques. According to the obtained characterisation results, the drugs were soluble in the DES with no detectable degradation. Our results demonstrated the utility of F01 in wound healing in vivo using cut wound and burn wound models. Significant retraction of the cut wound area was observed within three weeks of the application of F01 when compared with DES. Furthermore, the utilisation of F01 resulted in less scarring of the burn wounds than any other group including the positive control, thus rendering it a candidate formula for burn dressing formulations. We demonstrated that the slower healing process associated with F01 resulted in less scarring potential. Lastly, the antimicrobial activity of the DES formulations was demonstrated against a panel of fungi and bacterial strains, thus providing a unique wound healing process via simultaneous prevention of wound infection. In conclusion, this work presents the design and application of a topical vehicle for TDF with novel biomedical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents)

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