AUTHOR=Liu Yang , Wang Fang , Guo HuiWen , Zhang Dingkun , Zhang Xiaofei , Wu Zhenfeng , Li Huiting , Xian Yang , Yue Pengfei , Yang Ming 

TITLE=Effect of molecular distillation on the anti-inflammatory activity and neurotoxicity of Asarum essential oil

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1196137

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2023.1196137

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=Asarum essential oil (AEO) and the fractions obtained through molecular distillation (MD) were investigated regarding their chemical compositions, anti-inflammatory activity, and neurotoxicity. AEO is primarily composed of safrole, methyl eugenol, and 3,5-dimethoxytoluene. After MD, three fractions were obtained and contained different proportions of volatile compounds relative to the original oil. The heavy fraction had high concentrations of safrole and methyl eugenol, while the light fraction contained high concentrations of α-pinene and β-pinene. The original oil and all three fractions exhibited anti-inflammatory effects, but the light fraction demonstrated more excellent anti-inflammatory activity than the other fractions. Asarum virgin oil and MD products are all neurotoxic. The exposure of PC12 cells to high concentrations of AEO resulted in abnormal nuclei, an increased number of apoptotic cells, increased ROS formation, and decreased SOD levels. Moreover, the results of acute toxicity tests in mice revealed that the light fractions were less toxic than virgin oils and other fractions. It is worth noting that MD technology enables the enrichment and separation of essential oil components and contributes to selecting of safe concentrations of AEO.