Antioxidant Capacity and Inhibition of Lipid Accumulation Effect of Baccharis articulata and Citrus sinensis Infusions.

Antioxidants are considered as a potential therapeutic to reduce the risk of chronic diseases related to oxidative stress, one of them is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), characterized by an increase in intracellular lipid content. We conducted a central composite rotatable design, using Citrus sinensis (CS) leaves, to optimize aqueous infusion conditions to obtain maximum antioxidant capacity (30 mg leaves/mL, incubated at 70 °C for 14 min). We also developed this approach to Baccharis articulate (BA) aerial parts, a native Argentine shrub with traditional medicinal uses. As a result we obtained 69 ± 1% and 86 ± 1% DPPH inhibition, as a marker for antioxidant capacity, for CS and BA, respectively. MASLD in vitro Model was performed by treating Hep-G2 with 1 mM oleic acid for 48 h, increasing intracellular lipid content in MASLD cells (2.13 ± 0.07 AU [MASLD cells] vs. 1.00 ± 0.11 AU [control cells], p < 0.01). The infusions effects were evaluated on MASLD cells for 48 h; only BA showed significant difference to Model, inhibiting nearly 50% lipid accumulation. We propose that antioxidant activity could be responsible for such effects. Although this is an in vitro study, a possible incorporation of antioxidants into diet could have a regulatory effect on intracellular lipid accumulation, which could have a potential influence on the development of MASLD.