The anti-inflammatory activity of the basolateral fraction of Caco-2 cells exposed to a rosemary
supercritical extract was examined. Uptake of rosemary extract fractions was tested
on Caco-2 cell monolayers (2–12 h incubation times) and the quantification of carnosic acid
and carnosol was performed by UPLC-MS/MS. Human macrophages were treated with the
basolateral fractions and secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 was measured by ELISA.
The fractions obtained after 8 and 12 h in absorption experiments caused a significant reduction
in excretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines. This reduction in cytokine secretion
levels corresponded to the amounts of carnosic acid and carnosol in the basolateral fractions.
Thus, the basolateral fraction of a rosemary supercritical extract showed an important
anti-inflammatory activity, providing the basis for increasing the use of supercritical rosemary
extracts for the prevention of inflammatory diseases.