Dr. José Villalaín has published a new article in the journal Antioxidants MDPI entitled “Localization and Aggregation of Honokiol in the Lipid Membrane”.
Honokiol, a biphenyl lignan extracted from Magnolia plant species, is a compound which exhibits a widespread range of properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antitumor, among others.
Honokiol, being highly hydrophobic, is soluble in common organic solvents but insoluble in water. Therefore, its biological effects could depend on its bioactive mechanism. But its effects are unknown at the level of the biological membrane. Understanding its bioactive mechanism could unlock innovative perspectives for its therapeutic development or for therapeutic development of similar molecules.
The results of this work sustain that honokiol has a tendency to insert inside the membrane; locates near and below the cholesterol oxygen atom, amid the hydrocarbon membrane palisade; increases slightly hydrocarbon fluidity; does not interact specifically with any membrane lipid; and, significantly, forms aggregates.
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