Potentiality of essential oils in aterosclerosis prevention, hypercholesterolemia treatment and tumor diseases.

GARCIA MARGARITA

Mendoza

Jornada; - VIII Jornadas de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de Lípidos y Lipoproteínas; 2019

Potentiality of essential oils in atherosclerosis prevention, hypercholesterolemia treatment and tumor diseasesEpidemiological studies have revealed that a high intake of fruits and vegetables correlates with a reduction in cancer incidence and is today promoted as an effective mean of eliminating problems caused by hyperlipemia. Although numerous reports of phytocompounds with antitumoural and hipolipidemic activity provide grounds for promoting the intake of fruits and vegetables their chemotherapeutic effects and mechanisms of action have not yet been elucidatedOur studies were centered on the effects and action mechanisms of the monoterpene components of essential oils and the combination of monoterpenes between them and combined with simvastatin on cholesterogenesis, lipid metabolism and cellular proliferation in vitro using two established cell lines, Hep G2 (derived from a human hepatoblastoma), A549 (derived from a human lung adenocarcinoma) and in vivo in no host and host nude mice carrying implanted tumors derived from A549.Recently we have been focus on the effects and action mechanisms of essential oils. We evaluated Lippia alba essential oils (LAEO) chemotypes cytotoxicity on human cancer culture cells and investigated the mechanisms involved in tagetenone (ta) chemotype cytotoxicity.It exhibited selective cytotoxicity against HepG2 and A549 cells. The mechanism involved cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction. Tagetenone chemotype (LaEOta) treatment caused 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase decrease and profound cholesterogenesis inhibition with farnesyl pyrophosphate redirection towards other end products, such as ubiquinone. The LaEOta, the most efficacious hypocholesterogenic LAEO, also inhibited triacylglycerols, cholesteryl esters, and phospholipids synthesis; and diminished lipid droplets in size and volume. Our work contributes to a clearer understanding of mechanisms of action of LaEOta, thus suggesting that the use of that tagetenone chemotype could provide significant health benefits as a chemopreventive and/or chemotherapeutic agent and their lipid-lowering effects could prove essential to prevent cardiovascular diseases.We also demonstrate that the peel oil of mandarin Citrus reticulata (MPO) causes a dose-dependent growth inhibition of non-small cell lung cancers model cells (A549) in culture and tumour growth in vivo of these same cells implanted in nude mice fed with MPO-supplemented diets. Our data suggest that MPO possesses significant antitumor activity without causing systemic toxicity, rendering it a useful tool as a functional food supplement.