Explore the Mysteries of the Ocean and Release Carbohydrates
Marine natural products have great economic value and have good biological activity in antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory aspects. They are used to develop drugs, vaccines, adjuvants, drug delivery carriers, tissue materials, etc. To obtain high-purity marine natural products, CD BioGlyco has established a Marine Biomolecule platform to provide clients with first-class production services for Marine Carbohydrates, Marine Glycoproteins, Marine Lectins, Marine Glycosides, and Marine Glycolipids.
We use many Technologies to provide clients with high-quality carbohydrate production services, such as organic solvent extraction, enzymatic extraction, microbial extraction, etc.
Solvent extraction is a widely used method for extracting marine natural products, using a suitable solvent to extract soluble components from a solid or semi-solid matrix. Solvent extraction generally includes five steps: 1) penetration of the solvent into the natural matrix; 2) dissolution of the compound of interest; 3) transfer of the solute from the natural matrix; 4) migration of the extracted solute from the outer surface of the natural matrix into the bulk solution; 5) separation of the extract and discharge of the natural matrix. The advantages of this method are clear principles, simple operation, fixed steps, and low requirements for equipment. At CD BioGlyco, we use organic solvent extraction to extract marine carbohydrates as follows:
Pretreatment of Marine Substrates
The marine biomass provided by the clients is thoroughly washed to remove impurities such as sand, salt, and other debris. Then the biomass is dried. The biomass is ground into a fine powder.
Organic Solvent Extraction
The key to organic solvent extraction is the selection of organic solvent and the screening of extraction conditions, which directly affect the extraction rate and purity of bioactive substances. We select suitable organic solvents such as ethanol, methanol, acetone, chloroform, etc. according to the characteristics of the target carbohydrate and its solubility. Then the biomass and the solvent are mixed in a suitable container to ensure sufficient contact between the solvent and the biomass. In this process, pay attention to controlling the physical conditions such as the time and temperature of the extraction. Then filter the mixture to separate the waste biomass from the solvent-carbohydrate solution. Concentrate the filtrate to obtain a crude extract.
Purification
According to the characteristics of the target compound, select the appropriate method to purify the extract. Common methods include chromatography purification, precipitation purification, membrane filtration purification, etc.
Analysis and Characterization
We determine the purity, composition, and structure of the product using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), etc.
Publication
Technology: Organic solvent extraction, Water extraction
Journal: Molecules
IF: 4.2
Published: 2010
Results: Natural products are the main source of drugs and the discovery of new molecular structures. The establishment of the world's largest and most diverse natural product screening library for drug discovery will help drug research and discovery. Here, the authors introduce the specific methods for preparing two extracts from each sample, one is a non-polar to medium-polar small molecule material produced by organic solvent extraction, and the other is a water-soluble extract of small to medium-sized molecules.
Applications
- Drug delivery: Marine carbohydrates extracted by organic solvents, such as alginate and carrageenan, are used in drug delivery systems due to their biocompatibility and gel-forming properties.
- Biomaterials: Marine polysaccharides such as alginate are used to develop hydrogels for wound dressings, providing a moist environment to promote faster healing.
- Biofertilizers: Carbohydrates extracted from the marine environment can be used as biofertilizers to improve soil quality and promote plant growth.
- Biopolymers: Marine carbohydrates can be used to produce biopolymers, which are biodegradable and used in packaging and materials science.
Advantages of Us
- We use organic solvent extraction methods widely used in marine natural product extraction to help clients release and analyze more new marine biomolecules from the marine environment and study their application potential.
- Organic solvent extraction methods help remove non-carbohydrate impurities. They denature proteins and destroy lipid membranes, resulting in cleaner extracts that are more suitable for subsequent analysis and application.
- We combine other extraction methods with organic solvent extraction to reduce the difficulty of extraction and improve extraction rate and product purity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of organic solvents are commonly used?
Common organic solvents include ethanol, methanol, chloroform, acetone, isopropanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate. The choice of solvent depends on the specific carbohydrates targeted for extraction and the desired purity.
How do you optimize the extraction process?
When selecting solvents, we always consider safety, environmental impact, and disposal methods. Based on the actual situation during the extraction process, we continuously adjust and optimize the ratio of solvent to biomass, and control the extraction temperature and extraction time. At the same time, we combine other auxiliary means such as filtration or centrifugation to optimize the extraction process.
CD BioGlyco has a professional team of experts dedicated to helping clients uncover the secrets of the ocean world and explore the applications of marine biomolecules. If you are interested in marine biological research, please feel free to contact us.
Reference
- McCloud, T.G. High throughput extraction of plant, marine and fungal specimens for preservation of biologically active molecules. Molecules. 2010, 15(7): 4526-4563.
