ACTIVIDAD DEL ACEITE ESENCIAL DE Arnica mexicana SOBRE EL CITOESQUELETO EN CONDROCITOS

Abstract

Articular cartilage plays an important role because of their components: chondrocytes embebed in extracellular matrix, the last one composed by water, proteoglycans and collagen. The imbalance of the homeostasis between these compounds have been observed on osteoarthritic cartilage and the catabolic events exceed the anabolic one permiting the matrix degeneration. Therefore, the cytoskeleton establishes a intimate relationship with the extracellular matrix within the alteration of the cytoskeleton proteins are associated a several pathologic conditions as in the case of the osteoarthritis (OA). Among the multitude of AO therapies, traditional medicine have demonstrated beneficial effects topically as in the case of A. mexicana that their pharmaceutic essential oils properties and other compounds, we decided to study the effects of essential oils on the cytoskeleton proteins distribution of cartilage explants. To make this possible, we initiated with the essential oil obtaining and characterization that provided us the existence of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and hydrocarbon such mayor compounds. Therefore, we continued with viability essays (cytotox 96) which demostrated that the minor essential oils concentrations (10-50 μg/ml) don´t have cytotoxic effects at 48 and 96 h on the treated explants. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that the essential oil kept the cytoskeleton proteins organizated even with the disgregant. Particulary, this effect was observed on vimentin protein that led us to think to evaluate the mayor component of the essential oil on vimentin without modification on it. Finally, we evaluated the interaction between essential oil and acrylamide on different times and order, showing us the reorganization of vimentin on chondrocytes previously exposed to the essential oil and acrylamide later. In conclusion, the interaction between essential oil and acrylamide shows reorganization of intermediate filaments of vimentin at the same time.