Already used in aromatherapy to improve mood and stress symptoms, it can be used in the future in cases of demented behaviour disorders and chronic pain: results from ongoing preclinical and clinical studies open up new perspectives for human use.
The essential oil of bergamot, already known in aromatherapy for its capacity to act on the mood and improve the symptoms of stress, may be used in the future for the treatment of agitation disorders in patients with dementia and chronic pain. This is confirmed by the promising results of an Unical study on the analgesic properties of Bergamot essential oil. A study that has succeeded in overcoming the limitations so far discovered by research in the area of aromatherapy, reached the clinical trial phase and was rewarded by substantial funding provided in Por Calabria.
Research in aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a specialized form of herbal medicine that utilizes essential oils in different pathological situations. Although widely used worldwide, similar to medicines, essential oils also require clinical trials to prove their efficacy and safety before use in therapy.
Currently, unfortunately, all aromatherapy clinical trials suffer from some weaknesses that restrict their rational use. One of the main difficulties in carrying out these studies is related to the strong aroma of essential oils, which prevents adequate masking of their administration. It is therefore difficult to apply the “double-blind” principle, whereby neither the patient nor the doctor knows the administered substance, which is indispensable for the quality of the results as it allows an objective assessment of the effectiveness of the intervention.
Unical research on bergamot essential oil
During the past 15 years, the commitment of the international research group led by Professor Giacinto Bagetta of Unical, in collaboration with Professor Sakurada (Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai) has accumulated strong evidence for the significant analgesic efficiency of bergamot essential oil (BEO) in pre-clinical studies, which led to the proposal for clinical use. As a result, experimental evidence for bergamot has not been collected previously for some of the essential oils, putting them in an advantageous position for their transfer to the clinic. The preclinical evidence from which the EPO is used is produced through neuropharmacology and neurochemical studies; In this last context, for example, results have been obtained in controlled microdialysis experiments on isolated nerve cells and animals.
In these preclinical experimental models, the psoralen-free BEO (for example, bergapten, to avoid the only documentable side effect, phototoxicity), administered in vivo or synaptosomal systems in vitro is able to modulate the release of molecules involved in nerve transmission, as certain amino acids, including glutamate, as evidenced by colleagues Morrone (Unical) and Bonanno (Unige). The effect on the neurotransmission of glutamate may be very interesting, considering the beneficial role that this molecule plays in pain and behaviour. Furthermore, the effects of BEO can also be based on other activities, such as the regulation of serotonin functions, another important neurotransmitter for various biological functions, and endogenous opioids, extensively demonstrated pharmacologically in behavioural studies by co-worker Rombolà (Unical) and Professor Sakurada (Sendai). An undeniable benefit is the documented absence of side effects and sedation that frequently accompanies the analgesic effect and is responsible for motor incoordination and accidental falls, mental confusion and behavioural disorders. In addition, bergamot essential oil also produces analgesia in models of inflammatory pain and improves the analgesic effect of morphine, an active ingredient derived from opium. As a result, preclinical data provide a sound rational basis for the transfer of BEO use in different clinical situations where pain plays a significant role.
The international congress at Unical “Dementia Therapeutics and Cognitive Rehabilitation”
The translation of NanoBEO into the dementia clinic for the treatment of BPSD was discussed during the National Congress of SINdem, Association for the Study of Dementia established within the Italian Society of Neurology, held in Florence on 13-15 October 2022. This theme will also be the subject of extensive discussion at the International Congress “Dementia Therapeutics and Cognitive Rehabilitation” which will take place at the University of Calabria from 21 to 23 November 2022. This is a scientific event organized by Professor Giacinto Bagetta and born out of the collaboration with important national and international institutions at both universities (Magna Graecia University, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University of Sendai, Daijchi Pharmaceutical University, Fukuoka) that of research (Istituto Sant’Anna, Crotone; DZNE, Bonn) and that sees, among others, the participation of experts in the field such as Linda Clare (UK), Pierluigi Nicotera (Germany), Stefano Cappa (Italy), Monica Di Luca (Italy), Tsukasa Sakurada (Fukuoka), Dafin Muresanu (Romania), Sabatino Maione (Italy), Matilde Leonardi (Italy). The congress is sponsored by the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF), the Japanese sister company (JSP) and the Italian Society of Neurological Rehabilitation (SIRN) as well as the World Federation of Neurological Rehabilitation Societies (WFNRS).
RCB (Citrus Bergamia Risso) is proposed for the promotion and commercialization of
Bergamot Essential Oil.
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