Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) to enhance berberine absorption: An in vivo pharmacokinetic study

What if green chemistry could completely rewrite how our bodies absorb stubborn natural compounds? For the first time, researchers reveal that eco-friendly liquid mixtures can dramatically boost the uptake of berberine.

Meet Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents, or NADES. These are clever mixtures of small natural compounds that melt at temperatures significantly lower than their individual ingredients. While green chemistry champions them as safe alternatives to harsh organic solvents, scientists are now putting them to work as delivery vehicles. Crafted mostly from food-grade ingredients, these eutectic mixtures were tested as solvents for the challenging plant alkaloid berberine.

When three selected NADES-berberine solutions—alongside a standard aqueous suspension—were orally administered to mice at a dose of 50 mg/Kg, the results were striking. Using precise LC-MS/MS methods to track blood levels, researchers uncovered a remarkable 2 to 20-fold increase in berberine blood concentrations, accompanied by significant changes in the overall pharmacokinetic profile.

This breakthrough suggests that NADES are far more than just green lab novelties. As effective solubilizing agents, they hold genuine promise for overcoming the poor bioavailability of valuable natural products like berberine.

Key Points

• First in vivo study of NADES-solubilized berberine administration
• 2 to 20-fold increase in blood concentration
• Prepared mainly using safe food-grade constituents