Green and Efficient Supramolecular Deep Eutectic Solvent-Synergistic Vortex-Assisted Extraction of Active Compounds from Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels and Mechanism Study

Abstract Deep eutectic solvents (DES) represent a highly promising, greener, and more sustainable alternative for extracting active compounds from medicinal plants. In this study, a novel and sustainable supramolecular deep eutectic solvent (SUPRADES) was synthesized for the first time, and the SUPRADES-based vortex-assisted extraction (SUPRADES-VAE) technique was established. Combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), this method was successfully applied to the analysis of five active components from Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (AS). The results show that the SUPRADES based on ethylene glycol, DL-lactic acid, and β-cyclodextrin (5:1:3.5 wt %) exhibited the best extraction performance. The optimal extraction conditions were determined by single-factor experiment and response surface methodology (RSM). Under optimal conditions, the total extraction yield of the five active components reached 81.61 mg/g, with extraction efficiencies 1.13–3.33 times higher than those obtained with traditional solvents, including water, ethanol, 70% ethanol, methanol, 70% methanol, and conventional DES. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphological changes of AS powder extracted by SUPRADES and density functional theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the interactions between SUPRADES and the active components during the extraction process. The active components extracted by the SUPRADES-VAE method exhibited relatively strong antioxidant activity compared with the tested conventional solvents. The developed method offers a potential green and efficient approach for extracting active compounds from medicinal plants, with further optimization needed to enhance its sustainability.