Research Article In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Salvia sagittata Ethanolic Extract on Primary Cultures of Porcine Aortic Endothelial Cells Irvin Tubon , 1,2,3 Augusta Zannoni , 1 Chiara Bernardini , 1 Roberta Salaroli, 1 Martina Bertocchi , 1 Roberto Mandrioli , 4 Diego Vinueza , 2 Fabiana Antognoni , 4 and Monica Forni 1 1 Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences-DIMEVET, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell’Emilia Bologna 40064, Italy 2 Escuela de Bioquimica y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Superior Politecnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba, EC060155, Ecuador 3 Escuela de Enfermeria, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad Regional Autónoma de Los Andes UNIANDES, Ambato, EC180150, Ecuador 4 Department for Life Quality Studies-QuVi, University of Bologna, Rimini 47921, Italy Correspondence should be addressed to Fabiana Antognoni; fabiana.antognoni@unibo.it Received 19 October 2018; Revised 10 January 2019; Accepted 12 February 2019; Published 9 May 2019 Guest Editor: Ayman M. Mahmoud Copyright © 2019 Irvin Tubon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The aim of the present research was to study the effects of an ethanolic extract of Salvia sagittata Ruiz & Pav (SSEE), an endemic Ecuadorian plant traditionally used to treat inflammation and different intestinal affections, on primary cultures of porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs). pAECs were cultured in the presence of different concentrations (1-200 μg/mL) of SSEE for 24 h, and cytotoxicity was evaluated by the MTT assay. SSEE did not negatively affect cellular viability at any concentration tested. Cell cycle was analyzed and no significant change was observed. Then, the anti-inflammatory effects of SSEE on pAECs were analyzed using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as the inflammatory stimulus. Different markers involved in the inflammatory process, such as cytokines and protective molecules, were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot. SSEE showed the ability to restore pAEC physiological conditions reducing interleukin-6 and increasing Heme Oxygenase-1 protein levels. The phytochemical composition of SSEE was also evaluated via HPLC-DAD and spectrophotometric assays. The presence of different phenolic acids and flavonoids was revealed, with rosmarinic acid as the most abundant component. SSEE possesses an interesting antioxidant activity, as assessed through both the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. In conclusion, results suggest that SSEE is endowed with an in vitro anti-inflammatory effect. This represents the initial step in finding a possible scientific support for the traditional therapeutic use of this plant. 1. Introduction In the last few years, researches aimed to scientifically define the effects of natural products have been growing, not only due to the increasing popularity of plant-based Traditional Medicine but also because it meets the primary health-care needs for the majority of the population in developing coun- tries [1]. Moreover, a huge number of medicinal plants, still not investigated, are available worldwide. Currently, more than 20,000 plant species are used to treat several diseases and are considered as potential reservoirs for new drugs [2]. Recent studies suggest that the historical ethnopharma- cological uses of plant-based medicines can represent a useful preliminary screening tool in the field of drug discovery [3]. Ecuador is considered one of the countries with the largest biodiversity in the world. The flora of mainland Ecuador is extremely rich: an estimated total of 17,000 species have so far been recorded [4, 5] and more than 3,000 medicinal plants are used in different native communi- ties living on the highlands of the Ecuadorian Andes [6]. However, in most cases, the preparation, doses, and routes of administration of these herbal remedies are only Hindawi Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity Volume 2019, Article ID 6829173, 11 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6829173