Abstract
Interest in new products from aromatic plants as medical and nutritional compounds is increasing. The aim of this work was to apply different extraction methods, including the use of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, and to test the antioxidant activity of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extracts. In vitro efficacy assessments were performed using enzymatic assays. Essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation and volatile oil obtained from supercritical fluid extraction were analyzed by gas chromatography to quantify components. The total phenolic content in the extracts ranged from 35.5 ± 2.9 to 85.3 ± 8.6 mg of gallic acid equivalents and the total flavonoid content ranged from 35.5 ± 2.9 to 93.3 ± 3.9 micromole catechin equivalents per gram of dry weight of extract. All the extracts showed an antioxidant activity with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and the reducing power test. Extracts obtained from methanol had a higher antioxidant capacity per the DPPH test results (IC50 = 3.05 ± 0.36 mg/mL) and the reducing power test assay 306.8 ± 21.8 μmol of trolox equivalents per gram of extract (TE/g) compared with ethanolic or supercritical fluid extracts. However, using the ABTS assay, the extract obtained by supercritical fluid extraction had a higher antioxidant capacity with an IC50 of 1.74 ± 0.05 mg/mL. Finally, the examined extracts showed practically no acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory capacity and a slight inhibitory activity against tyrosinase.
Highlights
Basil is an aromatic plant belonging to the Lamiacecae family, used as a culinary herb and for ornamental purposes
The methodologies to obtain volatile oils with supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) from herbaceous matrices are well documented in the literature, the selection of the working extraction conditions, such as pressure, temperature, flow rate, and particle size [27,46,47,48]
The volatile oil obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of basil aerial parts was found to be similar to the essential oil obtained from hydrodistillation
Summary
Basil is an aromatic plant belonging to the Lamiacecae family, used as a culinary herb and for ornamental purposes. Many authors have referenced basil as a medicinal plant. Basil extract and essential oil from various parts including the leaves, flowers, and roots, have been used to determine antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, and hypoglycemic activities [1,5,6,9,10,11,12,13,14,15], or to estimate the cost of manufacturing the extracts [16]. The interest in new antioxidant sources, and aromatic herbs in particular, has increased [17,18,19]. Extraction techniques aim to extract active biocompounds from herb samples [23], and to increase the concentration of the compound of interest. Classical extraction techniques are generally based on the extractive potential of various solvents, using heating or mixing
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