Ionic liquids for the production of insecticidal and microbicidal extracts of the fungus Cantharellus cibarius.

Different ionic liquids were used as solvents for the effective extraction of the active metabolites of the fruit bodies of C. cibarius. The type of ionic liquid was found to play a significant role in this process. We found that the protic ionic liquid 1-[(nonyloxy)methyl]-1H-imidazol-3-ium salicylate (6) is a most-efficient extracting agent, being superior to classical solvents such as AcOEt or hexane. The obtained extracts generally revealed high insecticidal activities against both house fly and cockroach, with similar potencies as the standard pesticides bromfenvinphos or alphacypermethrin, as well as significant activities against bacteria, yeast, and moulds. Notably, the cidal activities against plant-pathogenic bacteria were stronger than against human bacterial strains.