The ability of supercritical CO2 carrot and pumpkin extracts to counteract inflammation and oxidative stress in RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with LPS or MDA-MB-231 cell-conditioned media

Food Funct. 2023 Nov 13;14(22):10083-10096. doi: 10.1039/d3fo03159d.

Abstract

Supercritical fluid extraction with CO2 (SFE) is an alternative technology to conventional solvent extraction (CSE), to obtain food-grade bioactives from plants. Here, SFE and CSE extracts from carrot and pumpkin matrices, impregnated with hempseed or flaxseed oil as co-solvents, were characterized by HPLC and GC-MS, and their ability to counteract the inflammatory and oxidative phenomena underlying the onset of several pathologies was assessed in vitro. All extracts showed dose-dependent anti-inflammatory potential and demonstrated an ability to interfere with the pro-inflammatory effects of breast cancer cell-conditioned media, and to inhibit reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and nitrite production (NP) in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages. Nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is involved in these response mechanisms, as highlighted by the increased mRNA levels of its target genes revealed by quantitative real-time PCR analyses. NP and ROS concentrations negatively correlated with α-tocopherol and most carotenoids, but positively with the total tocopherol/total carotenoid ratio, suggesting an idiosyncratic effect of these bioactives on cell responses and emphasizing the need to focus on extract constituents' interactions.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carbon Dioxide / pharmacology
  • Carotenoids / pharmacology
  • Cucurbita*
  • Culture Media, Conditioned / pharmacology
  • Daucus carota*
  • Inflammation / drug therapy
  • Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology
  • MDA-MB-231 Cells
  • Macrophages
  • Mice
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • RAW 264.7 Cells
  • Reactive Oxygen Species

Substances

  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Culture Media, Conditioned
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Plant Extracts
  • Carotenoids