1. Protective Effects of the Essential Oil of Salvia fruticosa and Its Constituents on Astrocytic Susceptibility to Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Cell Death
- Author
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Olga Larkov, Uzi Ravid, Sharon Mordechay, Anat Elmann, Meital Elkabetz, and Miriam Rindner
- Subjects
Programmed cell death ,Cell type ,Cell Survival ,Pharmacology ,Protective Agents ,medicine.disease_cause ,law.invention ,Salvia fruticosa ,law ,Oils, Volatile ,medicine ,Animals ,Plant Oils ,Salvia ,Rats, Wistar ,Cells, Cultured ,Essential oil ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Reactive oxygen species ,Cell Death ,biology ,Hydrogen Peroxide ,General Chemistry ,biology.organism_classification ,Rats ,Cytosol ,chemistry ,Biochemistry ,Apoptosis ,Astrocytes ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Oxidative stress - Abstract
Oxidative stress has been implicated in pathologic processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell type in the brain, protect neurons from reactive oxygen species (ROS), and any damage to them will affect neuronal survival. This study compares the ability of essential oils prepared from different herbs and spices to protect cultured primary brain astrocytes from H2O2-induced death. The results show that the essential oil of Salvia fruticosa (Sf) among the tested essential oils demonstrated remarkable protective activity. The protective effect of Sf could be attributed to alpha-humulene and alpha-pinene. Following incubation, alpha-humulene and trans-beta-caryophyllene could be found in the cytosol of astrocytes. It is proposed that Sf, by attenuating H2O2-induced cell death, might be used as a functional food or may be offered as a means of therapy in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
- Published
- 2009
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