Biotransformed citrus extract as a source of anti-inflammatory polyphenols: Effects in macrophages and adipocytes

•Industrial citrus residue extract grants anti-inflammatory tissue protection.•Autoclaving may improve the extract's health properties.•Biotransformation by fermentation further improves efficacy of extract.•Efficacy of extracts was evaluated by inflammation pathways and stress biomarkers.

Chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity are preceded by increased macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue and greater secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory potential of Biotransformed extract, and two control extracts: In Natura and Autoclaved. The assays were performed using a cellular model with RAW264.7, 3T3-L1 cells, and RAW264.7 and 3T3-L1 co-culture. The innovation of the study was the use of Biotransformed extract, a unique phenolic extract of a bioprocessed citrus residue. LPS stimulated RAW264.7 cells treated with the Biotransformed extract exhibited lower secretion of TNF-α and NO and lower protein expression of NFκB. In RAW264.7 and 3T3-L1 co-culture, treatment with 1.0 mg/mL of the Biotransformed extract reduced secretion of TNF-α (30.7%) and IL-6 (43.4%). Still, the Biotransformed extract caused higher increase in adiponectin in relation to control extracts. When the co-culture received a LPS stimulus, the Autoclaved extract at 1.0 mg/mL reduced IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations, and raised adiponectin. However, it was noteworthy that the Biotransformed extract was also able to significantly reduce IL-6 concentration while the Natural extract was not. The Biotransformed citrus extract evaluated in this study showed anti-inflammatory activity in macrophages and in co-culture, indicating that bioprocess of citrus residue can contribute to new product development with anti-inflammatory potential.

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