Biochem/physiol Actions

α-Spinasterol is a constituent of argan oil. It regulates nuclear receptors expression and modulates mitochondrial function. It mimics natural cholesterol and its functionality. α-Spinastero lelicits cytoprotective and antiulcerogenic functionality. It has therapeutic potential towards diabetic nephropathy.

α-Spinasterol is a blood-brain barrier-permeable and orally active plant phytosterol with antioxidant, anticonvulsant (0.1-1 mg/kg i.p. in mice), antidepressant (1-2 mg/kg i.p. in mice) and anti-inflammatory (0.001-1 mg/kg, i.p. or 1-10 mg/kg, i.g. in mice) properties, as well as antinociceptive efficacy via dual actions against transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TrpV1; IC50/Emax = 1.4 µM/67% against 2 nM RTX for binding mouse spinal cord membranes; IC50/Emax = 40 µM/62% against 20 µM capsaicin-induced mouse spinal cord synaptosomes Ca2+ influx) and cyclooxygenases (IC50 = 16.17 µM/COX1 and 7.76µM/COX2). a-spinasterol can directly affect membrane structure and packing in a manner similar to cholesterol, both a-spinasterol and stitosterol are reported to lower plasma/liver cholesterol levels and increase fecal cholesterol excretion when supplemented in daily diet (1%) in mice in vivo.