Anti-inflammatory Effects of Extracts of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) on a Co-culture of 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and RAW264.7 Macrophages

• Published in: Journal of Oleo Science Vol. 69; no. 5; pp. 487 - 493
• Main Authors: Takeuchi, Haruka, Takahashi-Muto, Chie, Nagase, Mana, Kassai, Masahiro, Tanaka-Yachi, Rieko, Kiyose, Chikako
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Japan Oil Chemists' Society 01.01.2020; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Adipocytes; Boycotts; Cytokines; Gene expression; Inflammation; Macrophages; obesity; Seafood; sweet basil; sweet basil; macrophages; inflammation; adipocytes; obesity
• ISSN: 1345-8957; 1347-3352
• DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess19321

Obesity, a lifestyle disease resulting from excessive caloric intake and insufficient physical activity, results in a state of chronic inflammation. A food ingredient that suppresses chronic inflammation could help prevent associated diseases. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a herb from the Lamiaceae family with some reported anti-inflammatory effects. Via this in vitro study, we aimed to investigate whether sweet basil exerts anti-inflammatory effects in obese patients. Fresh sweet basil leaves were freeze-dried and powered. After that, this was extracted with 80% methanol. After 3T3-L1 adipocytes were cultured with sweet basil extracts at final concentrations of either 5 or 25 μg/mL for 24h, RAW264.7 macrophages were seeded onto this adipocytes and co-cultured for 12h. We determined the effects of sweet basil extracts on inflammatory cytokine expression by real-time PCR or western blotting. Sweet basil extracts reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokine mRNA induced by co-culture, including that of IL-6 (Il6), IL-1β (Il1b), TNF-α (Tnf), and CCL2 (Ccl2). In addition, sweet basil extracts suppressed the mRNA expression of NF-κB (Nfκb1), a transcription factor of inflammatory cytokines. In an investigation of costimulatory CD137 (Tnfrsf9)/CD137L inflammatory signaling, a member of the TNF super-family, sweet basil extracts inhibited Tnfrsf9 expression induced by the co-culture. Therefore, the results of this study indicated that sweet basil extracts have an anti-inflammatory effect against adipocyte-induced inflammation, possibly through suppression of Tnfrsf9 expression.