title: Essential oil from Pterodon emarginatus seeds ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by modulating Th1/Treg cell balance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pterodon emarginatus Vogel is a medicinal plant commonly used in Brazilian traditional medicine as a folk therapy due to its immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, healing, tonic and depurative activities. The essential oil (EO) of Pterodon emarginatus is composed of volatile aromatic terpenes and phenyl propanoids, mainly, β-elemene and β-caryophyllene sesquiterpenes. Here we reported the effects and some underlying mechanisms of action of EO during murine model of MS, the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).
  
  
  METHODS
  EO (50 and 100 mg/kg) was orally administered during the entire period of development of EAE (preventive treatment, day 0-25). In vitro and in vivo immunological responses were evaluated by ELISA, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We provide evidence that EO of Pterodon emarginatus (100 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly attenuates neurological signs and also the development of EAE. Furthermore, at the same dose EO consistently inhibited Th1 cell-mediated immune response and upregulated Treg response in vitro. Moreover, the EO inhibited both microglial activation and expression of iNOS, associated with inhibition of axonal demyelization and neuronal death during the development of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first experimental evidence showing that oral administration of EO consistently reduces and limits the severity and development of EAE, mainly, through the modulation of Th1/Treg immune balance, and might represent a helpful new tool for control immunoinflammatory conditions, such as MS.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thaís B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcon
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maíra A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bicca
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Pesquisa e Inovação em Ciências da Saúde (NUPICS), Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nádia R B
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Raposo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: João B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Calixto
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Laboratório de Autoimunidade e Imunofarmacologia (LAIF), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Araranguá, Araranguá, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: rafaelcdutra@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rafael C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Dutra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012639:Seeds; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile
keywords: Central nervous system; Essential oil; Multiple sclerosis; Neuroinflammation; Pterodon emarginatus