title: Evaluation of toxicity and biodegradability of choline chloride based deep eutectic solvents.
abstract: Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been dramatically expanding in popularity as a new generation of environmentally friendly solvents with possible applications in various industrial fields, but their ecological footprint has not yet been thoroughly investigated. In the present study, three choline chloride-based DESs with glucose, glycerol and oxalic acid as hydrogen bond donors were evaluated for in vitro toxicity using fish and human cell line, phytotoxicity using wheat and biodegradability using wastewater microorganisms through closed bottle test. Obtained in vitro toxicity data on cell lines indicate that choline chloride: glucose and choline chloride:glycerol possess low cytotoxicity (EC50>10 mM for both cell lines) while choline chloride:oxalic acid possess moderate cytotoxicity (EC50 value 1.64 mM and 4.19 mM for fish and human cell line, respectively). Results on phytotoxicity imply that tested DESs are non-toxic with seed germination EC50 values higher than 5000 mg L(-1). All tested DESs were classified as'readily biodegradable' based on their high levels of mineralization (68-96%). These findings indicate that DESs have a green profile and a good prospect for a wider use in the field of green technologies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cell Technology, Application and Biotransformations, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Radošević
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cell Technology, Application and Biotransformations, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Marina Cvjetko
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bubalo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cell Technology, Application and Biotransformations, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Višnje Gaurina
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Srček
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for the Biological Waste Water Treatment, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Dijana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grgas
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for the Biological Waste Water Treatment, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Tibela Landeka
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Dragičević
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cell Technology, Application and Biotransformations, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: iradojci@pbf.hr.
authors.forename: Ivana Radojčić
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Redovniković
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002794:Choline / Q000633:toxicity*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005990:Glycerol / Q000378:metabolism; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D019815:Oxalic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D012997:Solvents / Q000633:toxicity*; D014908:Triticum / Q000187:drug effects*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D002794:Choline; D005947:Glucose; D005990:Glycerol; D019815:Oxalic Acid; D012997:Solvents; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Biodegradability; Choline chloride; Deep eutectic solvents; In vitro toxicity; Phytotoxicity