In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Essential Oil and β-Bisabolol Derived from Cotton Gin Trash

Natural alpha-bisabolol has been widely used in cosmetics and is sourced mainly from the stems of Candeia trees that have become endangered due to over exploitation. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of cotton gin trash (CGT) essential oil and the major terpenoid (beta-bisabolol) purified from the oil were investigated against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages as well as the 3t3 and HS27 fibroblast cell lines. Nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 8 (IL-8) were measured using Greiss reagent, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and cytokine bead array (CBA)-flow cytometry. Non-toxic concentrations of CGT oil and beta-bisabolol (1.6-50.0 mu g/mL) significantly inhibited the production of the inflammatory mediators in a dose-dependent manner. Maximal inhibition by beta-bisabolol was 55.5% for NO, 62.3% for PGE(2), and 45.3% for TNF-alpha production in RAW cells. beta-Bisabolol induced a level of inhibition similar to an equal concentration of alpha-bisabolol (50.0 mu g/mL), a known anti-inflammatory agent. These results suggest beta-bisabolol exerts similar in vitro effects to known topical anti-inflammatory agents and could therefore be exploited for cosmetic and therapeutic uses. This is the first study to report the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of beta-bisabolol in CGT essential oil.

Automated summary

Natural alpha-bisabolol is widely used in cosmetics and primarily sourced from endangered Candeia trees. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of cotton gin trash (CGT) essential oil and beta-bisabolol was studied, showing significant inhibition of inflammatory mediators in a dose-dependent manner. Beta-bisabolol exhibited similar effects to alpha-bisabolol, suggesting its potential for cosmetic and therapeutic applications as an anti-inflammatory agent.