Neuropharmacology of the essential oil of bergamot     

Giacinto Bagetta  Luigi Antonio Morrone  Laura Rombolà  Diana Amantea  Rossella Russo  Laura Berliocchi  Shinobu Sakurada  Tsukasa Sakurada  Domenicantonio Rotiroti  Maria Tiziana Corasaniti 《Fitoterapia》2010

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia, Risso) is a fruit most knowledgeable for its essential oil (BEO) used in aromatherapy to minimize symptoms of stress-induced anxiety and mild mood disorders and cancer pain though the rational basis for such applications awaits to be discovered. The behavioural and EEG spectrum power effects of BEO correlate well with its exocytotic and carrier-mediated release of discrete amino acids endowed with neurotransmitter function in the mammalian hippocampus supporting the deduction that BEO is able to interfere with normal and pathological synaptic plasticity. The observed neuroprotection in the course of experimental brain ischemia and pain does support this view. In conclusion, the data yielded so far contribute to our understanding of the mode of action of this phytocomplex on nerve tissue under normal and pathological experimental conditions and provide a rational basis for the practical use of BEO in complementary medicine. The opening of a wide venue for future research and translation into clinical settings is also envisaged.  相似文献   

Hypolipemic and hypoglycaemic activity of bergamot polyphenols: From animal models to human studies     

Vincenzo Mollace  Iolanda SaccoElzbieta Janda  Claudio MalaraDomenica Ventrice  Carmen ColicaValeria Visalli  Saverio MuscoliSalvatore Ragusa  Carolina MuscoliDomenicantonio Rotiroti  Franco Romeo 《Fitoterapia》2011,82(3):309-316

Bergamot juice produces hypolipemic activity in rats though the mechanism remains unclear. Here we investigated on the effect of bergamot extract (BPF) in diet-induced hyperlipemia in Wistar rats and in 237 patients suffering from hyperlipemia either associated or not with hyperglycaemia. BPF, given orally for 30 days to both rats and patients, reduces total and LDL cholesterol levels (an effect accompanied by elevation of cHDL), triglyceride levels and by a significant decrease in blood glucose. Moreover, BPF inhibited HMG-CoA reductase activity and enhanced reactive vasodilation thus representing an efficient phytotherapeutic approach in combating hyperlipemic and hyperglycaemic disorders.  相似文献