Effect of Heterotheca inuloides essential oil on rat cytoskeleton articular chondrocytes.

Osteoarthritis is characterised by progressive loss of articular cartilage through the increase of catabolic metalloproteinases, and chondrocyte cytoskeleton disruption has also been reported. In this regard, we studied the effect of Heterotheca inuloides essential oil (HIEO) on the distribution and immunolocalisation of actin, vimentin and tubulin of chondrocytes from cultured rat articular cartilage explants in the presence of the cytoskeleton disassembly agent acrylamide. After 48 h, chondrocytes treated with acrylamide showed changes in actin immunolocalisation and shrinkage, loss of tubulin compartmentalisation and vimentin collapse and redistribution. However, the immunostaining pattern of these three proteins in acrylamide- and HIEO-treated chondrocytes simultaneously retained their typical characteristics. These results suggest that HIEO promotes protein cytoskeleton reorganisation without providing a preventive effect of acrylamide-associated disassembly. However, it is also possible that HIEO prevents vimentin disorganisation by chemical interaction with acrylamide.