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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Pharmacology

Aloysia deserticola (rica-rica) essential oil impairs inhibitory synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons

  • Juan Ahumada1,2,3
  • Pablo Morel-Alonso4
  • Nicole Vidal-Herrera1,5
  • Koyam Morales-Weil6
  • Waleska Vera4,7
  • Marco Fuenzalida1,2
7 affiliations
  1. 1Centro de Neurobiología y Fisiopatología Integrativa (CENFI), Laboratorio de Neuroplasticidad, Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso
  2. 2Millennium Nucleus of Neuroepigenetics and Plasticity (EpiNeuro)
  3. 3Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso (CINV), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso
  4. 4Facultad de Farmacia, Escuela de Química y Farmacia, Laboratorio de Química de Metabolitos Bioactivos Universidad de Valparaíso
  5. 5Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias, Mención Neurociencia, Universidad de Valparaíso
  6. 6Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Viña del Mar
  7. 7Centro de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación de Productos Bioactivos (CInBIO), Universidad de Valparaíso
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Abstract

Aloysia deserticola is an aromatic plant native to the Chilean Andean highlands that has traditionally been used in herbal preparations. Although a previous behavioral study reported the anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects of rica-rica essential oil in an animal model, its neurophysiological actions at cellular and synaptic levels remain largely unexplored. In this study, we characterized A. deserticola essential oil (AD-EO) using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and examined its acute effects on GABAergic synaptic transmission via whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons in acute dorsal hippocampal slices obtained from C57BL/6 J mice. GC–MS analysis revealed an enriched thujone chemical profile, with peaks tentatively identified as α- and β-thujone accounting for 89.06% and 3.38% of the total chromatographic area, respectively. Application of AD-EO to the bath reduced evoked inhibitory postsynaptic current (eIPSC) amplitude in a concentration-dependent manner and shortened eIPSC decay kinetics. This is consistent with a postsynaptic contribution to the suppression of inhibitory signaling. At intermediate-to-high estimated thujone-equivalent concentrations, AD-EO increased the paired-pulse ratio. Coefficient-of-variation analysis supported the presence of an additional presynaptic component. Consistent with these findings, AD-EO reduced the frequency and amplitude of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Furthermore, the effects on eIPSC amplitude and the paired-pulse ratio were reversible following washout. Together, these results demonstrate that AD-EO suppresses inhibitory synapses in CA1 pyramidal neurons via effects consistent with pre- and postsynaptic locus . These results provide electrophysiological evidence that AD-EO modulates hippocampal inhibitory transmission and support further investigation of the mechanisms underlying the neurophysiological actions of this complex natural preparation.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ahumada2026aloysia,
  title = {{Aloysia deserticola (rica-rica) essential oil impairs inhibitory synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons}},
  author = {Juan Ahumada and Pablo Morel-Alonso and Nicole Vidal-Herrera and Koyam Morales-Weil and Waleska Vera and Marco Fuenzalida},
  journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1917739},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1917739/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Aloysia deserticola (rica-rica) essential oil impairs inhibitory synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons
AU  - Juan Ahumada
AU  - Pablo Morel-Alonso
AU  - Nicole Vidal-Herrera
AU  - Koyam Morales-Weil
AU  - Waleska Vera
AU  - Marco Fuenzalida
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/14
JO  - Frontiers in Pharmacology
DO  - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1917739
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1917739/full
AB  - Aloysia deserticola is an aromatic plant native to the Chilean Andean highlands that has traditionally been used in herbal preparations. Although a previous behavioral study reported the anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects of rica-rica essential oil in an animal model, its neurophysiological actions at cellular and synaptic levels remain largely unexplored. In this study, we characterized A. deserticola essential oil (AD-EO) using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and examined its acute effects on GABAergic synaptic transmission via whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons in acute dorsal hippocampal slices obtained from C57BL/6 J mice. GC–MS analysis revealed an enriched thujone chemical profile, with peaks tentatively identified as α- and β-thujone accounting for 89.06% and 3.38% of the total chromatographic area, respectively. Application of AD-EO to the bath reduced evoked inhibitory postsynaptic current (eIPSC) amplitude in a concentration-dependent manner and shortened eIPSC decay kinetics. This is consistent with a postsynaptic contribution to the suppression of inhibitory signaling. At intermediate-to-high estimated thujone-equivalent concentrations, AD-EO increased the paired-pulse ratio. Coefficient-of-variation analysis supported the presence of an additional presynaptic component. Consistent with these findings, AD-EO reduced the frequency and amplitude of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Furthermore, the effects on eIPSC amplitude and the paired-pulse ratio were reversible following washout. Together, these results demonstrate that AD-EO suppresses inhibitory synapses in CA1 pyramidal neurons via effects consistent with pre- and postsynaptic locus . These results provide electrophysiological evidence that AD-EO modulates hippocampal inhibitory transmission and support further investigation of the mechanisms underlying the neurophysiological actions of this complex natural preparation.
SN  - 1663-9812
ER  -