Cymbopogon citratus industrial waste as a potential source of bioactive compounds.
BACKGROUND
Cymbopogon citratus (Cc), commonly known as lemongrass, is a very important crop worldwide, being grown in tropical countries. It is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and perfumery industries for its essential oil. Cc aqueous extracts are also used in traditional medicine. They contain high levels of polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Hydrodistillation of lemongrass essential oil produces an aqueous waste (CcHD) which is discarded. Therefore a comparative study between CcHD and Cc infusion (CcI) was performed to characterize its phytochemical profile and to research its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential.


RESULTS
HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS(n) analysis showed that CcI and CcHD have similar phenolic profiles, with CcHD presenting a higher amount of polyphenols. Additionally, both CcI and CcHD showed antioxidant activity against DPPH (EC50 of 41.72 ± 0.05 and 42.29 ± 0.05 µg mL(-1) respectively) and strong anti-inflammatory properties, by reducing NO production and iNOS expression in macrophages and through their NO-scavenging activity, in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, no cytotoxicity was observed.


CONCLUSION
The data of this study encourage considering the aqueous solution from Cc leaf hydrodistillation as a source of bioactive compounds, which may add great industrial value to this crop.
['Tavares|Filipa|F|', 'Costa|Gustavo|G|', 'Francisco|Vera|V|', 'Liberal|Joana|J|', 'Figueirinha|Artur|A|', 'Lopes|Maria Celeste|MC|', 'Cruz|Maria Teresa|MT|', 'Batista|Maria Teresa|MT|']
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents D000975:Antioxidants D031743:Cymbopogon D007220:Industrial Waste D008519:Medicine, Traditional D010636:Phenols D010936:Plant Extracts D018515:Plant Leaves D059808:Polyphenols
Cymbopogon citratus industrial waste lemongrass polyphenols antioxidant anti-inflammatory