Comparison of Fatty Acid Profiling and RBC Membrane Stabilization Activity of Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides and Hippophae salicifolia) Seed Oil

Background: Seabuckthorn (SBT) is one of the most important plants of higher altitude in India and China. SBT seed oil is rich in Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) which is present in a peculiar ratio capable of combating inflammation. Objective: To compare the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid profiling and Red Blood Cell (RBC) membrane stabilization activity between two species of SBT seed oil; Hippophae rhamnoides (HR) and Hippophae salicifolia (HS) collected from Ladakh and Sikkim, India, respectively. Materials and Methods: GC-MS analysis was performed and effect of SBT seed oil was evaluated against heat and hypotonicity induced haemolysis of RBC. Protein denaturation assay was also conducted to check its probable role in chronic inflammation. Results: GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of PUFA viz. Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and Linoleic acid (LA) in SBT seed oil. Both significantly (p<0.05) inhibited heat and hypotonicity induced membrane destabilization in a concentration dependant manner. Maximum percentage inhibition of protein denaturation was observed at 3.6 μg/ml after incubation period of 4 hours. Conclusion: HR and HS have been proved to inhibit membrane destabilization with almost equal efficacy. Their efficacy against heat induced protein denaturation indicates that they may be useful in prevention and/or treatment of chronic inflammation as well. These findings may be attributed to the presence of PUFA. This study has contributed in establishing some preliminary evidence about PUFAs being the mainstay of their anti-inflammatory efficacy. However, in vivo studies are required to further validate the results of this study.