Bonincontro Adalberto, Di Ilio Vincenzo, Pedata Osvaldo, Risuleo Gianfranco
CNISM-Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma La Sapienza, piazzale A. Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy.
J Membr Biol. 2007 Feb;215(2-3):75-9. doi: 10.1007/s00232-007-9007-2. Epub 2007 Apr 17.
Neem oil is a natural product obtained from the seeds of the tree Azadirachta indica. In this report, we investigate the alterations of the biophysical properties of the plasma membrane caused by treatment with the nonterpenoid fraction of neem oil that we defined as methanolic extract (MEX). The dose-response effect was evaluated and a MEX-dependent cytoxicity evidenced. The effect of MEX on the plasma membrane was studied by a well-established dielectric spectroscopy technique: electrorotation, which allows single-cell analysis. Our results show a structural/functional alteration of the plasma membrane with an evident increase of specific capacitance and conductance. The biological implications of this effect are discussed.
印楝油是从印楝树的种子中提取的一种天然产物。在本报告中,我们研究了用印楝油的非萜类组分(我们定义为甲醇提取物,即MEX)处理后质膜生物物理特性的变化。评估了剂量反应效应,并证明了MEX依赖性细胞毒性。通过一种成熟的介电谱技术——旋转电泳来研究MEX对质膜的影响,旋转电泳可进行单细胞分析。我们的结果显示质膜存在结构/功能改变,比电容和电导率明显增加。讨论了这种效应的生物学意义。