The development of novel green solvents has been one of the hottest subjects in green chemistry. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have logically and naturally emerged in the search for more biocompatible and biodegradable solvents. In this study, some basic physical properties, including viscosity, conductivity and density, of twenty DESs prepared from choline chloride and various hydrogen bond donors were investigated systematically. In addition, the biocompatibility of the tested DESs was qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated using two gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes) and two gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis) bacteria. A Closed Bottle Test was used to assess the biodegradability of these DESs. The results demonstrated that these choline chloride-based DESs were excellent solvents with extremely low toxicity and favorable biodegradability. Finally, DESs were used to extract a flavonoid (rutin) from the flower buds of Sophora japonica. An extraction efficiency of 194.17±2.31 mg·g −1 was achieved using choline chloride/triethylene glycol containing 20% water. The excellent properties of DESs indicate their potential as promising green solvents for the extraction of rutin with favorable prospects for wide use in the field of green technology. acid, levulinic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, xylose, sucrose, fructose, glucose, and maltose (all ≥99% mass fraction purity) were all purchased from Tianjin Kermel Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. (Tianjin, China). Rutin (≥98% mass fraction purity) was purchased from Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China). S. japonica bud was purchased from ZhanJiang Yizhou Medicines Co., Ltd. (Guangdong, China). All other chemicals were of analytical grade.Preparation of DESs. DESs were synthesized by mixing choline chloride and HBDs at a defined molar ratio (see Table 1) and heating at 100 °C for 2-4 h at an atmospheric pressure under constant stirring until a stable homogeneous liquid was formed. 21 Sugar-based DESs were prepared using the same conditions but under a nitrogen atmosphere. All the prepared DESs were allowed to cool to room temperature and dried in a vacuum oven at 50 °C for 24 h.The solvents were stored in sealed laboratory vials and kept in a desiccator. Physical Properties. The water contents of the samples were measured using a Metrohm Karl-Fischer (model 890) titrator. The viscosities of the DESs were measured with a HAAKE RheoStress 600 at 100 Hz from 25-80 °C at a rate of 5 °C min −1 . The conductivity of all samples was measured with a conductivity meter (Shanghai Leici DDS-307A) at a preset temperature.The densities of all samples were determined using a 5 cm 3 pycnometer calibrated with deionized water at 30 °C. As for the determination of viscosities, conductivity and densities, all the DESs except sugar-based DESs were dried at 100 °C to minimize the water content. All measurements were performed at constant temperature. The relative standard deviation for all th...

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Although a causal role of genetic alterations in human cancer is well established, it is still unclear whether dietary fat can modulate cancer risk in a predisposed population. Epidemiological studies suggest that diets rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce cancer incidence. To determine the influence of fatty acids on prostate cancer risk in animals with a defined genetic lesion, we used prostate-specific Pten-knockout mice, an immune-competent, orthotopic prostate cancer model, and diets with defined polyunsaturated fatty acid levels. We found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced prostate tumor growth, slowed histopathological progression, and increased survival, whereas omega-6 fatty acids had opposite effects. Introducing an omega-3 desaturase, which converts omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, into the Pten-knockout mice reduced tumor growth similarly to the omega-3 diet. Tumors from mice on the omega-3 diet had lower proportions of phosphorylated Bad and higher apoptotic indexes compared with those from mice on omega-6 diet. Knockdown of Bad eliminated omega-3-induced cell death, and introduction of exogenous Bad restored the sensitivity to omega-3 fatty acids. Our data suggest that modulation of prostate cancer development by polyunsaturated fatty acids is mediated in part through Bad-dependent apoptosis. This study highlights the importance of gene-diet interactions in prostate cancer.

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