Application of Supercritical Orchid Extraction Technology in Innovative Research and Application of Traditional Chinese Medicine

2025-03-12 13:53:21

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine processing techniques include water extraction (decoction, soaking, percolation, reflux extraction, etc.), alcohol extraction, oil extraction, sublimation, processing, and other methods. For thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine has been processing Chinese herbal medicines based on this method. By evaluating the efficacy of medication for patients, adjusting and determining the prescription composition, dosage, and methods, and continuously summarizing and optimizing them, countless classic prescriptions and treatment methods have been formed and passed down to this day.

Supercritical extraction technology can be used to extract various components in traditional Chinese medicine, including volatile oils, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, glycosides, etc. Both water-soluble and fat soluble components can be extracted by adjusting the extraction conditions, and multiple effective ingredients in the compound can also be extracted simultaneously.

Supercritical extraction technology is completely different from traditional Chinese medicine pharmaceutical technology in terms of preparation principle, medium of use, and process. Due to the use of CO2 as a medium for extraction under temperature conditions close to human body temperature, the composition of the product obtained by traditional Chinese herbal medicine processing methods is different, the content of effective ingredients is different, the purity is higher, and the activity is stronger. This means that using supercritical extraction technology to prepare traditional Chinese medicine may result in higher efficacy, lower dosage, lower toxicity, higher medication safety and compliance, leading to new formulations, new routes of administration, new treatment methods or administration methods. Meanwhile, compared with traditional methods, supercritical extraction technology has the process characteristics of high extraction efficiency, short time, simple steps, no solvent residue, energy saving and environmental protection, and selective and more concentrated extraction components. The feasibility of achievement transformation and application is strong, and the selling points are clear.

The application of supercritical extraction technology in the innovation of traditional Chinese medicine is specifically reflected in the following aspects:

Enhance the activity of traditional Chinese medicine. It can efficiently extract effective ingredients from various traditional Chinese medicines, such as extracting tanshinone from Danshen and artemisinin from Artemisia annua. By optimizing extraction parameters such as pressure, temperature, extraction time, etc., the extraction rate and purity of active ingredients can be significantly improved,

Assisting in improving the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine can help establish more accurate and reliable quality standards, conduct more precise analysis and identification of complex components in traditional Chinese medicine, and provide scientific basis for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Promoting the research and development of traditional Chinese medicine formulas can analyze the interactions and synergistic effects of each component in the formulas, providing strong support for studying the pharmacological substances and mechanisms of action of the formulas, and offering new ideas for optimizing and innovating traditional Chinese medicine formulas.

Discovering new components and applications, supercritical extraction technology can extract some components that are difficult to obtain through traditional methods. Due to its special extraction conditions and high selectivity, some components that have been overlooked or not discovered due to destruction in traditional extraction processes may be discovered. The discovery of these new ingredients may bring new targets and mechanisms of action for the development of traditional Chinese medicine drugs.

Optimize drug composition. By accurately extracting active ingredients, removing impurities, and providing higher quality raw materials for new drug development, it helps to improve the efficacy and safety of new drugs. For traditional Chinese medicinal materials containing multiple complex components, specific pharmacological active ingredients can be selectively extracted to reduce the interference of ineffective or side effect ingredients.

Innovative routes of administration and methods of administration. Due to changes in drug activity and composition, more possibilities have been provided for the administration routes and methods of traditional Chinese medicine new drugs. For example, developing more convenient dosage forms for patients to take, such as oral immediate release preparations, controlled release preparations, etc., or exploring new routes of administration, such as transdermal administration, inhalation administration, etc., to improve the bioavailability and therapeutic effect of drugs.

Improving research and development efficiency, efficient extraction processes, and simple operational steps can accelerate the development of traditional Chinese medicine new drugs. In new drug development, time and cost are crucial, and the application of super clinical procedures can shorten the development cycle, reduce costs, and improve success rates.

Providing high-quality raw material foundation, supercritical extraction extracts have high purity, low impurities, and good physical properties such as small particle size and uniform distribution. This provides high-quality raw materials for the development of various advanced dosage forms. When preparing traditional Chinese medicine injections, high-purity extracts can reduce particles and impurities in the injections, and lower the incidence of adverse reactions. For solid dispersions, liposomes and other dosage forms, the extract extracted by supercritical extraction can be better mixed with the carrier material, which is beneficial for the shaping and performance optimization of the dosage form. For example, in the preparation of traditional Chinese medicine liposome formulations, the extract extracted by supercritical extraction can be more evenly dispersed in the lipid bilayer, improving the encapsulation efficiency and stability of liposomes.

Promote the development of sustained-release formulations. Supercritical extraction technology combined with modern pharmaceutical methods can produce sustained-release formulations of traditional Chinese medicine extracts. By appropriate processing of the extract, such as microencapsulation or nanoparticle formation, the release rate of the drug can be controlled. For example, the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine obtained by supercritical extraction can be made into microcapsules, and different materials can be selected according to the needs, such as natural polymer materials or synthetic polymer materials. These microcapsules can slowly release drugs in the body, prolong the duration of drug action, reduce the frequency of administration, and improve patient compliance. At the same time, sustained-release formulations can also achieve timed and targeted release of drugs at specific sites based on the characteristics of the disease and treatment needs, further improving the therapeutic effect of the drugs.

To improve the bioavailability of drugs, supercritical extraction technology can enhance the physical and chemical properties of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine, such as increasing their solubility and dispersibility. For example, by using supercritical fluid technology to prepare insoluble traditional Chinese medicine ingredients into dosage forms such as nanoparticles or solid dispersions, the surface area of the drug increases, the solubility increases, and the absorption rate and degree in the body are improved. For some Chinese herbal ingredients with poor oral absorption, this improvement is particularly significant, which can make the drug absorbed by the body faster and more completely, thereby improving the bioavailability of the drug and enhancing the therapeutic effect.

Enhance drug targeting. In the development of new traditional Chinese medicine drugs, the combination of supercritical extraction technology and modern targeted drug delivery technology can enable drugs to have targeted components. For example, combining the effective ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine obtained by supercritical extraction with targeted carriers (such as antibodies, liposomes, etc.) can enable precise delivery of drugs to the affected area. For the treatment of tumors and other diseases, this targeted drug delivery can reduce the distribution of drugs in normal tissues, reduce the toxic side effects of drugs, and increase the drug concentration at the lesion site, enhancing the therapeutic effect on the disease.

Retain the activity of ingredients and synergistically enhance efficiency. Supercritical extraction technology operates under mild conditions and can effectively preserve the activity of traditional Chinese medicine components. In traditional Chinese medicine formulas, there may be interactions between these active ingredients