Anti-inflammatory potential of Ricinus communis leaves extracts in vitro Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Ricinus communis L. leaves are a by-product from the production of castor oil, which are commonly discarded and could be used as a source of bioactive compounds. Since most of these bioactives are polyphenols, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, this research aimed to characterize the polyphenolic fraction and assess the anti-inflammatory properties in vitro of R. communis leaves extracts. Two accessions of Mexican R. communis L. leaves (R1 and R2) were used. A spectrophotometric, HPLC-DAD, and GC-MS characterization of compounds from the leaves was conducted, together with their antioxidant capacity by ABTS and DPPH inhibition. An in vitro model of LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells was used to evaluate cell viability and nitric oxide inhibition due to R1 and R2 treatment. Results indicated that R2 contained a higher amount of flavonoids, but lower antioxidant capacity than R1, suggesting that additional compounds are involved in the antioxidant capacity. (+)-catechin and rutin were the most abundant flavonoids in R2. Except for the 50 % v/v treatment, none of the R1 and R2 concentrations were cytotoxic, and inhibited nitric oxide production >60 %. The results showed that R. communis L. leaves extracts could be used to alleviate inflammation in vitro, but additional experiments regarding safety and anti-inflammatory assays are needed to fully elucidate their effect. © 2024 Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions. All rights reserved.

publication date

  • January 1, 2024