Vasorelaxant effect of the Lippia alba essential oil and its major constituent, citral, on the contractility of isolated rat aorta

The essential oil from Lippia alba and its major component, citral, demonstrated effective vasorelaxant properties with EC values of 352.73 ± 19.39 μg/mL and 99.34 ± 7.2 μg/mL respectively in the presence of endothelium.

• Both EOLa and citral caused relaxation of aortic smooth muscle, suggesting potential therapeutic effects on vascular function.
• The presence of endothelium enhanced the vasorelaxant action of EOLa and citral.
• Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis with L-NAME reduced the efficacy of EOLa and citral, indicating a role for nitric oxide in their action.
• EOLa and citral also relaxed contractions induced by a calcium channel agonist and a protein kinase C activator, suggesting multiple mechanisms of action.

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