Vitex Agnus-Castus L. Essential Oil Increases Human Erythrocyte Membrane Fluidity

Abstract

Summary: Erythrocyte membrane fluidity is related to their rheologic behavior, the dynamic quality of erythrocytes, which is tempted in hypertension and atherosclerosis. An increased risk of these and other cardiovascular diseases occurs in ageing women. Menopause-related conditions are often treated with hormone replacement therapy that may increase the risk of malignancies. Vitex agnus-castus L. essential oil contains various organic compounds (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and terpenoids), and is increasingly used as an alternative therapy for menopausal symptoms. These components of the oil may be incorporated into cell membranes, thereby changing the membrane fluidity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Vitex agnuscastus essential oil on human erythrocyte membrane fluidity at graded depths. We used Electron Paramagnetic Resonan ce spectroscopy and fatty acid spin probes (5-doxyl stearic acid and 12-doxyl stearic acid), whose spectra depend on membrane fluidity. After treatment with Vitex agnus-castus essential oil the erythrocytes had a significant (p=0.029) and reversible increase in membrane fluidity in the deeper hydrophobic membrane regions, with no change (p>0.05) in fluidity near the membrane's hydrophilic surface. These results document increased fluidity of the human erythrocyte membrane by Vitex agnus-castus essential oil, and this action may be useful in patients with menopause--related hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions. Keywords: erythrocytes, membrane fluidity, Vac essential oil, EPR Kratak sadr`aj: Fluidnost membrane eritrocita uslovljava njihove reolo{ke karakteristike, svojevrsne dinami~ke kva litete, izmenjene u hipertenziji i aterosklerozi. Rizik od navedenih i drugih kardiovaskularnih oboljenja se kod `ena po ve}ava sa sta renjem. Tegobe koje prate menopauzu se obi~no ubla`avaju supstitucionom hormonskom terapijom, koja mo`e pove}ati rizik od pojave malignih oboljenja. Esencijalno ulje biljke Vitex agnus-castus L. sadr`i razli~ita organska jedinjenja (monoterpene, seskviterpene i terpenoide) i svẽ e{}e se koristi kao alternativno terapijsko sredstvo za simptome me no pauze. Navedene komponente esencijalnog ulja mogu se ugraditi u }elijske membrane i menjati njihovu fluidnost. Cilj studije bio je da se utvrde efekti esencijalnog ulja biljke Vitex agnus-castus na fluidnost membrane eritrocita po njenoj du bini. Kori{}ena je spektroskopija elektronske paramagnetne rezonance i masnokiselinske spinske probe (5-dok sil stea rinska i 12-doksil stearinska kiselina), ~iji spektri za vise od fluidnosti membrane. Nakon tretmana eritrocita esencijal nim uljem biljke Vitex agnus-castus utvr|eno je zna~ajno (p=0,029) i reverzibilno pove}anje fluidnosti njihove membrane u dubljim, hidrofobnim regionima, dok u povr{inskim, hidrofilnim regionima eritrocitne membrane nisu utvr|ene zna~ajne promene (p>0,05). Ovi rezultati uka zuju na po ve}anje fluidnosti eritrocitne membrane nakon tretmana esencijalnim uljem biljke Vitex agnus-castus, {to mo`e biti ko ristan efekat pri tretm...

Chemical Composition of Essential Oils From Vitex Agnus-Castus L. Growing in Morocco and Its in Vitro Antibacterial Activity Against Clinical Bacteria Responsible for Nosocomial Infections

“…The obtained yield from the essential oil of VAC fruits is higher than the fruits yielded and studied in Greece [29] and Serbia [30] which are, respectively, 0.7% and 0.72%. The chemical composition of essential oils from leaves and fruits of Moroccan VAC was compared with other studies.…”

Taxonomic Insights and Its Type Cyclization Correlation of Volatile Sesquiterpenes in Vitex Species and Potential Source Insecticidal Compounds: A Review

“…The acyclic group has the smallest number of members, with only 11 acyclic SS identified in Vitex species, and all containing a farnesane skeleton (Figure 3). Among them, the compound (E)-β-farnesene (EβF) stands out, which is reported in eight species, being one of the main components of V. agnus-castus in various regions of the globe [24,26,31,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]. Probably, EβF synthase is being expressed in this species.…”

Positive effects of naringenin on near-surface membrane fluidity in human erythrocytes

“…Experiment was completed within 4 hours following blood sampling. The erythrocytes (erythrocyte membranes) were spin-labeled as described previously (1,2,3). In brief, erythrocytes were isolated from fresh blood and washed three times with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) by centrifugation at 3,500 × g for 10 min at 4 ºC; the hematocrit in all samples was adjusted to ~40%.…”

“…In this respect, it was observed that erythrocyte membrane fluidity is significantly lower in both spontaneously hypertensive rats and patients with essential hypertension, in comparison with normotensive subjects (22,23,24). Obviously, the fatty acid profile of the erythrocyte membrane together with its biophysical properties may be at least partially responsible for some cardiovascular risks (3,9). Considering that the polarity and the number and arrangement of functional groups in polyphenoles of natural origin determine their positioning in the membrane bilayer (4), the erythrocyte elastic deformation and, furthermore, hemodynamics may be variously affected upon their application.…”