Evaluation of the chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of distillate and residue fractions of sweet basil essential oil

Abstract

In this study, the chemical composition and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of sweet basil ( L. Lamiaceae family) were evaluated. Sweet basil is a food-related plant that is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Sweet basil crude oil was processed via molecular distillation and further characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to screen for new compounds. The GC-MS analysis identified thirty-eight compounds. The major constituents of the residue fraction were estragole (17.06%), methyl eugenol (11.35%) and linoleic acid (11.40%), while the distillate fraction primarily contained methyl eugenol (16.96%), α-cadinol (16.24%) and α-bergamotene (11.92%). The antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS assays) and anti-inflammatory (in Raw264.7 cells) activities were evaluated. The residue fraction markedly scavenged the DPPH (IC = 1.092 ± 0.066 mg/mL) and ABTS (IC = 0.707 ± 0.042 mg/mL) radicals. Meanwhile, the distillate fraction distinctly suppressed the production of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-β, IL-6) and their gene expression in LPS-induced Raw264.7 cells and suppressed NO and iNOS in an in vitro model when compared with the crude oil. In conclusion, the fractions obtained from sweet basil crude oil showed different antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and they could be used as an effective source of natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents after molecular distillation. Thus, the properties of essential oils in natural herbal medicines may be maximized to provide a valuable therapeutic strategy for treating various disorders caused by extreme oxidative stress.

Tangerines Cultivated on Madeira Island—A High Throughput Natural Source of Bioactive Compounds

“…Many of the compounds identified in setubalense and murcott tangerines have been previously reported with a myriad of bioactivities. This includes antioxidant [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], anti-inflammatory [ 17 ], antidiabetic [ 19 , 21 ], antileishmanial [ 22 , 23 ], antimicrobial [ 19 , 22 , 24 , 25 ], cytotoxic [ 22 , 23 ], antitumor [ 26 ], and antiproliferative activities [ 27 , 28 ]. Furthermore, there are evidence pointing to other protective effects against Alzheimer’s [ 29 ] and tuberculosis [ 30 ].…”

Methyl Chavicol and Its Synthetic Analogue as Possible Antioxidant and Antilipase Agents Based on the In Vitro and In Silico Assays

“…In addition, components of essential oils containing hydroxyl groups attached to the aromatic ring, unsaturations, and availability of electrons are associated with the antioxidant activity [ 39 ]. However, the essential oil of Tagetes lucida , which contains 95.7% of MC, produced IC 50 of 37.9 μ g/mL [ 40 ], while sweet basil essential oil (17.06% of MC) showed IC 50 of 1.092 ± 0.066 mg/mL [ 41 ]. Probably, this difference is related to compounds that may promote synergistic action among them [ 41 , 42 ].…”

Ocimum Phytochemicals and Their Potential Impact on Human Health

“…Aqueous extract of Ocimum gratissimum L. showed the capacity to reduce LPS-stimulated expression of BEAS-2B cell in human lung epithelial cells inhibiting its mRNA levels. Moreover, Li et al [122], investigating the action of distillate and residue fractions of basil essential oil (viz. estragole, methyl eugenol, linoleic acid, α-cadinol, and α-bergamotene) in-a Raw 264.7 cells line, have demonstrated that residue fractions prevents the expression of gene and suppressed the production of cytokines (TNF-a, IL-b, IL-6) in LPS-induced Raw264.7 cells, which contribute to treating various disorders caused by extreme oxidative stress.…”