Title:Nanoparticle Production of Zingiber officinale Roscoe Rhizome Extracts
by ESS (Expansion of Supercritical Solution)
Volume: 12
Issue: 2
Author(s): Zahra Rezvanjoo and Farhad Raofie*
Affiliation:
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Pollutants, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
Keywords:
Liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, supercritical fluids, nanoparticles, nanotechnology, Zingiber officinale.
Abstract:
A vast number of methods have been applied to water-insoluble pharmaceuticals to improve
their solubility. Nanoparticle production of pharmaceuticals is considered as one of the high-speed
ways to improve solubility.
Objective: Supercritical CO2 was applied to extract Zingiber officinale Roscoe rhizome pharmaceutical.
Then, a modified RESS (Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solution) method, called ESS (Expansion of
Supercritical Solution), was exerted to obtain NPs (nanoparticles) of the extracted pharmaceuticals.
Methods: Initially, applying high pressure in supercritical CO2 contributed to the extract dissolution such
that supercritical CO2 was saturated with the sample. Then, by decreasing the pressure, an expansion occurred
in the saturated medium. This expansion reduced the power of supercritical CO2 solvent and induced
the sample nanoparticle nucleation in the needle valve.
Results: LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) and EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy)
result provided solid evidence for the presence of anti-cancer pharmaceutical, [6]-Gingerol, in
the extract. The medium size of the nanoparticles in FESEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy)
analysis was 36 nm. The most satisfactory parameters for a 2 mg mL-1 feeding solution were the
initial pressure of 350 atm, secondary pressure of 160 atm, equilibrating time of 10 min, precipitating
time of 20 min, and temperature of 48 °C.
Conclusion: Unlike rapid expansion of supercritical solution methodology, in this technique, the initial
and secondary pressures were permanently above the critical pressure to provide a gentle expansion,
which contributes to the production of uniform and small particles. The obtained uniform NPs had a narrow
size distribution. Consequently, ESS technique can be considered as an efficient technique for improving
the solubility of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals, such as [6]-gingerol.
