Health-Promoting Properties of Borage Seed Oil Fractionated by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction

Abstract

Borage (Borago officinalis L.) seed oil is an important source of γ–linolenic acid, which is normally used as a treatment against different pathologies. Since the fractionation of this interesting seed oil has many environmental, economic and biological benefits, two borage fractionation techniques after extraction with CO2 under supercritical conditions have been studied: precipitation in two cyclone separators and countercurrent extraction column. Both techniques have successfully collected free fatty acids in one fraction: (i) two separators set up in series obtained the highest concentration of free fatty acids in separator 2 at 90 bar/40 °C; (ii) when countercurrent extraction column was used, the acidity index of the raffinate stream was independent from the operating conditions (2.6 ± 0.5%). Furthermore, the composition of the fatty acids, as well as their antioxidant and cytotoxic activities, were determined. The profile of the fatty acids obtained by either of these two methods remained unaltered, so that the crude oil exhibited improved antioxidant and cytotoxic properties. All the extracts obtained in the two cyclone separators at the same pressure/temperature conditions displayed high tumouricidal activity against HL 60 promyelocytic leukaemia cells, even if the extracts at 50% concentration from separator 2 presented a lower inhibitory activity (IC50). The extracts from separator 2 at 90 bar/40 °C exhibited the highest anti-proliferative activity at low doses (IC50 of 0.3 μL/mL for the trypan blue exclusion test). To reach the lethal dose—IC50—with the product obtained through countercurrent column fractionation, a concentration of 2 μL/mL of crude borage oil raffinate was required.

The effects of mango leaf extract during adolescence and adulthood in a rat model of schizophrenia

“…Subcritical water was used as the extraction solvent at a pressure of 20 MPa and a temperature of 80°C based on our previous work ( Fernández-Ponce et al, 2015 ). The use of solvents at high temperature and high pressure enhances the extraction performance as compared with conventional processes carried out at room temperature and atmospheric pressure ( Fernández-Ponce et al, 2015 ; Casas-Cardoso et al, 2021 ). Three extraction procedures were carried out in batch mode for 12 h and subsequently, extracts were collected, sterilized and stored at −20°C in the absence of light until they were analyzed ( Fernández-Ponce et al, 2015 ).…”

Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey: Research Progress of Its Active Components, Pharmacological Effects, and Extraction Methods

“…It has been successfully proposed for the extraction of active compounds from botanical matter and has proven to be effective in enhancing the extraction rate and quality of bioactive products. This is especially important for functional foods and the nutraceutical market [ 77 , 78 ]. Therefore, the application of supercritical fluid extraction to the extraction of the active ingredients from S. grosvenorii can be considered in the future.…”

Bigel Formulations of Nanoencapsulated St. John’s Wort Extract—An Approach for Enhanced Wound Healing

“…In addition to GLA, the oil contains saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, the most abundant of which are linoleic (~33%), oleic (~20%), palmitic (10-12%), and stearic (~4%) acids [28]. BO has been used in the therapy of various degenerative and cardiovascular diseases and dermal conditions such as seborrheic and atopic dermatitis [29,30]. In bigel formulations, its favorable skin-related properties would complement the beneficial effects of NLCs.…”