Membrane-stabilizing and clot lysis activities of (±) citronellal: In-vitro studies

Abstract

Numerous plants and their phytochemicals have been identified as having potential medicinal values and are used to treat different ailments worldwide. (±) Citronellal (CTL) is a monoterpene phytochemical with potential therapeutic benefits including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial actions.

Aim

The present study aimed to evaluate the membrane-stabilizing and clot-lysis activities of CTL through in vitro studies. For this, we performed hypotonic solution-induced erythrocyte lysing and human blood clot lysis methods to check the membrane-stabilizing and clot lysis capacities of CTL using acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and streptokinase (STK) as standards, respectively. CTL exhibited concentration-dependent membrane-stabilizing activity with an IC₅₀ = 28.83 ± 1.19 µg/mL. In the clot lysis test, CTL also showed a concentration-dependent clot lysing capacity, where it exhibited 50.46 ± 3.81 % clot lysis at a concentration of 160 μg/mL. In the latter case, the IC₅₀ value was I158.22 ± 2.21 µg/mL. CTL exhibit potent membrane-stabilizing and moderate clot-lysis activity. We suppose that CTL may exert these effects, possibly through its capacity to inhibit inflammatory mediators. Further in vivo and in silico studies are required to elucidate CTL’s exact molecular mechanisms behind these biological effects.