Ultra-high pressure-assisted micelles for simultaneous and efficient extraction of two insoluble alkaloids from Camptotheca acuminata seeds

As countries focus more on environmental issues, the development of sustainable green technologies has received increasing attention from researchers. This study aimed to propose a green, low-energy-consumption and high-efficiency extraction method for the simultaneous extraction of insoluble alkaloids from plants at room temperature and provide theoretical basis and data support to solve the problem of poorly soluble analogs. Ultra-high pressure (UHP) assisted eco-friendly micellar media (sodium lauryl sulfonate, SLS) at room temperature were applied to extract two insoluble alkaloids, namely, camptothecin (CPT) and hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), from Camptotheca acuminata seeds simultaneously. The extraction processes of CPT and HCPT were optimized by single-factor and response-surface methodology. The final extraction rates of CPT and HCPT were 82.68 % ± 1.2 % and 89.02 % ± 1.2 %, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to simulate the interaction between molecules. The hydrogen bond and electrostatic force between CPT, HCPT and SLS caused the formation of CPT-SLS and HCPT-SLS supramolecules, and folds self-assembled into micelles. The combination of these two forces made SLS more soluble in CPT and HCPT, which resulted in the extraction of active components. In the study of the kinetic model of UHP extraction, the entire process occurred by fast washing and slow diffusion simultaneously, with fast washing as the main step. During the extraction process, the endosperm, embryo and cotyledon of Camptotheca acuminata seeds were broken to extract the target components. Compared with other traditional extraction methods, the proposed method shows higher efficiency and lower energy consumption and provides a high-efficiency, environmentally protective, safe, and cost-saving for strategy for the industrial production of natural products.