Sorghum Phenolic Extracts: Chemical Characterization and Biological Activity Determination

Red sorghum contains phytochemicals such as 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and flavonoids with reported health benefits. The objective was to determine the chemical composition of sorghum phenolic extracts that were extracted with acidified methanol and separated into co-pigments and anthocyanin fraction by chromatographic procedure. In addition, the ability of sorghum extract to modify activation of the inflammasomes, a macromolecular protein complex involved in several malignancies, was evaluated. The total polyphenols, total flavonoids and total anthocyanins of the sorghum phenolic extract was quantified and phenolic profile was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The ability to modify the inflammasomes was evaluated using THP-1 human macrophages as an in vitro model. Treatment of sorghum phenolics in lipopolysaccharide-primed and adenosine triphosphate-activated THP-1 human macrophages resulted in reduction in IL-1β and IL-18 secretion. Our study showed the potential of sorghum phenolics to serve as a chemopreventive agent against diseases associated with aberrant activation of the inflammasomes.