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This research investigates the antioxidant effects of supercritical CO2 tomato extract on human astrocyte cells under oxidative stress.

May 6, 2026Nutrients0 citationsOpen Access

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Supercritical CO2-Derived Tomato Extract Activates Signaling Pathways to Reduce Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Astrocyte Cells

SRSerena Recalchi BMBeatrice Mengoni BSBarbara Scaglia

Key Points

This research investigates the antioxidant effects of supercritical CO2 tomato extract on human astrocyte cells under oxidative stress.
Human glioblastoma astrocytoma U-373 cells were treated with supercritical CO2 tomato extract (sCO2TE) or conventional tomato extract (CTE).
Cells were exposed to sodium arsenite to induce oxidative stress and lipopolysaccharide to trigger inflammation.
Cell viability and toxicity were assessed using Trypan Blue and MTT assays; intracellular ROS and lipid peroxidation were measured by flow cytometry.
Gene expression of NRF2, SOD1, and GPX1 was analyzed by qRT-PCR, and phosphorylation levels were evaluated via Western blot.
sCO2TE significantly reduced ROS production and lipid peroxidation compared to CTE.
sCO2TE enhanced NRF2 phosphorylation and its downstream targets, SOD1 and GPX1, particularly under oxidative stress.
sCO2TE reduced LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-κB, indicating anti-inflammatory activity.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: In this study, we investigated the effect on antioxidant defenses of a tomato extract obtained by supercritical CO2 extraction (sCO2TE), evaluating whether this green extraction method preserves biological activity compared to a conventional tomato extract (CTE) and focusing on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) regulation, Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) activation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation modulation. Methods: Human glioblastoma astrocytoma U-373 cells were pre-treated with sCO2TE or conventional tomato extract (CTE) and subsequently exposed to sodium arsenite (AsNaO2) to induce oxidative stress, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to trigger inflammatory signaling. Cell viability was assessed by Trypan Blue and MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; cell toxicity by propidium iodide staining. Intracellular ROS and lipid peroxidation were measured by flow cytometry. Gene expression of NRF2, SOD1 and GPX1 was analyzed by qRT-PCR, NRF2 activation and modulation of ERK1/2 (Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2) and NF-κB (Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) were evaluated by Western blot. Results: Pre-treatment with sCO2TE significantly reduced AsNaO2-induced ROS production and lipid peroxidation, showing a stronger effect compared to CTE. sCO2TE enhanced the expression of NRF2 phosphorylation and its downstream targets SOD1 and GPX1, particularly under oxidative stress conditions. In addition, sCO2TE attenuated LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-κB p65, suggesting anti-inflammatory activity. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that sCO2TE preserves the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of tomato-derived bioactives. The comparable efficacy of sCO2TE and CTE supports the use of sCO2 as a sustainable and solvent-free extraction method for the development of nutraceutical formulations targeting oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.

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Recalchi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69faa1eb04f884e66b532a42 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18091464

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