GC-MS Studies of Thiophenes in the Supercritical Fluid CO2 and Solvent Extracts of Tagetes patula L.

The intact plant parts and genetically modified hairy root clone #TpA6 of Tagetes patula were extracted with supercritical fluid CO2 extraction (SFE) and a conventional solvent extraction. SFE optimization included the variation of fluid CO2 pressure, dynamic time, and the addition of methanol modifier co-solvent. The four characteristic thiophene metabolites, 5-(3-buten-1-ynyl)-2,2'-bithienyl (BBT), 2,2':5',2aEuro(3)-terthiophene (alpha-T), 5-(4-acetoxy-1-butynyl)-2,2'-bithienyl (BBTOAc), and 5-(3,4-diacetoxy-1-butynyl)-2,2'-bithienyl [BBT(OAc)(2)], were analysed by GC-MS. The proposed SFE method allowed the selective extraction of thiophenes in 60 min dynamic time with supercritical CO2 without modifier co-solvent, at 30 MPa and 40 A degrees C. The SFE and the reference solvent extraction yielded similar results. The SFE of intact roots and flowers yielded 717 +/- A 31.3 and 480 +/- A 26.6 mu g g(-1) alpha-T, respectively, while the leaves did not contain considerable amounts of thiophenes. Remarkable amounts of BBT, BBTOAc, and BBT(OAc)(2) were characteristic of the SFE of hairy root cultures.