Eco-friendly and efficient extraction of Lonicera macranthoides phenylpropanoid based on natural deep eutectic solvents: Process optimization, extraction mechanism and biological activity

In this study, we have developed a technique using natural deep eutectic solvent-assisted ultrasound extraction (NADES-UAE) for the effective and sustainable extraction of the phenylpropanoids from Lonicera macranthoides. L-proline: DL-lactic acid (Lpro: DLla), one of the 32 NADESs, were created, proved to be an appropriate extraction solvent for the phenylpropanoids. The optimum parameters for the NADES-UAE extraction process were 29 % water content, 2.7:1 M ratio, and 43 min of extraction time, as determined by the Box-Behnken experimental design. Under the optimum parameters, the confirmed extraction rate of L. macranthoides total phenylpropanoids (LMTP) was 106.94 ± 4.31 mg/g. The extraction rate of LMTP and scanning electron microscope demonstrated that the new method may extract more target components in a shorter time when compared to conventional extraction methods. Furthermore, extraction kinetics, molecular dynamics and weak intermolecular interaction studies were utilized to explore the extraction mechanism of NADES-UAE in an accurate and detailed manner. Additionally, the outcomes showed that LMTP demonstrated strong inhibition of α-glucosidase along with good antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity in vitro. This work showed that the phenylpropanoid components of L. macranthoides maight be extracted using the effective and eco-friendly NADES-UAE approach.