Therapeutic product based on yerba mate extract and eutectic system by one step ultrasound approach

Therapeutic Eutectic Systems (THEDES) are eutectic mixtures including an active pharmaceutical ingredient. Considering that in phytotherapy the bioactive ingredient is the plant extract, the concept of THEDES is here expanded. In this work, a THEDES based on plant extract was developed, integrating natural eutectic synthesis and extraction of yerba mate bioactive compounds in “one step” ultrasound assisted (US) approach. This procedure reduces the total time from 80 to 20 min, and the energy consumption 3 times, improving process sustainability and extraction efficiency when compared with conventional US. Moreover, a D-Optimal mixture design was used to optimize the component's proportion of eutectic mixture; being 0.10 g of citric acid; 0.37 g of glycerol and 0.53 g of water the optimal system (CGH) for yerba mate biocompound extraction. Finally, in vitro activity of the THEDES based on yerba mate and CGH were evaluated on prostate cancer cell lines, showing a notable reduction on viability and cell proliferation, being more effective than aqueous extract. The phytotherapeutic agent proposed demonstrated a significant decrease in the proliferation at a concentration 4 times lower than aqueous extract. Noteworthy, the THEDES demonstrates the capacity to inhibit the viability in a 100% at concentrations ≥6.25 mg mL−1, whereas the highest concentration tested of aqueous extract, (15 mg mL−1) only achieved a reduction of ≈50%. The results highlight the sustainability of the proposed method and the potential of NADES for the design of novel phytotherapeutic agents improving extraction and bioactivity of yerba mate.