MODULATION OF MEMBRANE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES BY PULEGONA AND MENTHONE

MARIANI, M. E.; SANCHEZ-BORZONE M; MIGUEL V; GARCÍA, D. A.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Congreso; REUNION CONJUNTA DE SOCIEDADES DE BIOCIENCIAS; 2017

The essential oils are natural products extracted from species of aromatic plantsand exhibit a variety of biological properties, whose effects are attributed mainly toterpenes, usually the major chemical component. Moreover, some terpenes haveproven to possess antimicrobial or insecticidal activity, directly connected with theincorporation of these chemicals into cell membrane. The insecticidal activity ofMentha oil and its main components has been tested and established againstvarious insects/pests. In the present work, we analyzed the capacity of themonoterpene ketones most commonly found in Mentha species, pulegone andmenthone, to interact with membranes. The interaction of both ketones with DPPCmembranes was analyzed by using Langmuir monolayers and Brewster anglemicroscopy (BAM). The presence of these compounds in the subphase modifiedthe interfacial characteristics of DPPC isotherms indicating their capacity topenetrate in the lipidic phase. The changes were reflected mainly as expansion ofthe isotherms in the LE or LC phases of the film, softening and appearance ofphase transition at larger areas and reducing the collapse surface pressure. Theexperimental data indicate that compounds can incorporate into the membrane andtheir presence between lipid molecules would induce an increasing intermolecularinteraction, decreasing the film elasticity. These results suggests that theinsecticidal activity of Mentha could involve the interaction of its major componentswith lipid molecules causing disturbance of the cell membrane as was postulatedfor several larvicide compounds.