New challenges (insights) of rosemary bioactives as natural alternatives for use in nutrition and health

OJEDA-SANA AM,; VAN BAREN CM; MORENO S

Pirassununga campus

Workshop; ESPCA/Sao Paulo School of Advanced Science Advances in Molecular Structuring of Food Materials; 2013

Universidad de São Paulo/ESCPA

st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Oils and non-volatile plant fractions are increasingly used in food industry to control the quality of food. They have been identified as potential sources of phytochemicals possessing important biological activities. Previously, carnosic acid, a natural diterpene present in Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) leaves, was reported to posses a broad spectrum of pharmacological actions: antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antitumoral. Currently, the antibacterial mechanisms of rosemary bioactives are examined. Carnosic acid was able to change the membrane potential in S. aureus and E. faecalis, at concentrations that do not affect significantly the membrane permeability. By confocal microscopy and time-kill experiments, it was observed that this compound killed S. aureus in infected RAW 264.7 macrophages without toxic effects. Additionally, our group has also investigated the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of oils from plants growing in Argentina with different chemical compositions concluding that the correct knowledge of the relationship between the chemical composition and the biological activity of the main components is a key issue. Rosemary myrcene-rich oil showed the highest antioxidant activity, while the rosemary a-pinene-rich oil had the highest antibacterial activity against Gram+/Gram- bacteria. In addition, using the SYTOX Green assay it was reported for the first time that the 1,8-cineole disrupted the cell membrane of Gram-bacteria. Moreover, ongoing in vitro and in vivo studies of rosemary bioactives on antibiotic-resistant bacteria as methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolated from pediatric patients are showing interesting new insights in medicine. In conclusion, the identification of the rosemary bioactive compounds as well as further studies on their mechanism of action are essential for its rational and secure use in foods, cosmetics and drugs.