Abstract
BackgroundLavender remedies have been used in traditional medicine because of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and mood alleviating effects, but underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. Recently, studies investigating the effects of lavender oil in the context of psychiatric disorders have indicated potent pharmacological properties. Metabolism of tryptophan by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) was found to provide a biochemical link between immunology and neuroendocrinology and to be a frequent target of natural products.MethodsIn this in vitro study, interferences of lavender oil and constituents (-)-linalool, (+)-α-pinene and (+)-limonene with tryptophan catabolism by IDO and formation of neopterin via guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-cyclohydrolase-I and of interferon-γ have been investigated using unstimulated and phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).ResultsTreatment with lavender oil dose-dependently suppressed PHA-induced tryptophan breakdown and kynurenine formation. Similar effects were observed for the three constituents. In parallel, formation of neopterin and interferon-γ was diminished upon lavender oil treatment. In unstimulated PBMC, effect of lavender oil treatment was similar, but less pronounced.ConclusionData from this in vitro study suggest that lavender oil treatment might contribute to the modulation of the immune and neuroendocrine system by interfering with activation-induced tryptophan breakdown and IDO activity.
Highlights
Lavender remedies have been used in traditional medicine because of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and mood alleviating effects, but underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of lavender essential oil and some of its constituents on tryptophan catabolism, by using the well established model system of freshly isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), stimulated or not with the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) [17]
Effect of lavender oil and its constituents on cell viability Cytotoxicity was evaluated after 48 h incubation with lavender oil in a concentration range from 0.2 to 5.0% in unstimulated and PHA-stimulated PBMC
Summary
Lavender remedies have been used in traditional medicine because of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and mood alleviating effects, but underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. Studies investigating the effects of lavender oil in the context of psychiatric disorders have indicated potent pharmacological properties. Lavender and its essential oil have been used since centuries due to antiseptic, antimicrobial and sedative effects. In today’s folk and complementary medicine, the oil is applied for the treatment of conditions such as anxiety, restlessness, insomnia and depression. There is Recently, Kasper et al demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of the lavender oil preparation Silexan for the treatment of subsyndromal anxiety disorder in a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial [5]. Lavender oil treatment was found to alleviate anxiety related symptoms such as restlessness, disturbed sleep as well as somatic complaints, whereby the product demonstrated good tolerability without provoking greater adverse effects [6]
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