Supercritical fluid extraction as an alternative process to obtain essential oils with anti-inflammatory properties from marjoram and sweet basil

Abstract

The anti-inflammatory capacity of supercritical CO2 extracts (S1 and S2) obtained from sage (Salvia officinalis) was evaluated using THP-1 human macrophages activated with human ox-LDL, a specific in vitro model to determine the anti-inflammatory effect of the extracts in an atherosclerotic environment. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, with an important role in the atherogenic process, such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, in presence of different extracts concentrations was evaluated. Results showed that 30 μg/mL of both supercritical extracts (S1 and S2) markedly suppressed the ox-LDL induced production of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, as well as their mRNA expression. Data showed that S1 presented a higher anti-inflammatory activity than S2. A characterization by GC–MS of sage extracts identified 16 compounds, mainly camphor, borneol and 1,8-cineole. These three compounds represented a 62.4% of S1 and a 48.1% of S2. Camphor, borneol and 1,8-cineole presented an important anti-inflammatory activity in the proposed model, with a decrease in the release and gene expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 and an increase in IL-10 expression. These results explained the higher activity found in S1. This study suggested that supercritical sage extracts could be used as food ingredients in the development of anti-inflammatory/anti-atherogenic products.