“Antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of rosemary extracts linked to their polyphenol composition”

ADRIAN ALBERTO VOJNOV

CIUDAD AUTONOMA DE BUENOS AIRES

Workshop; Internacional Workshop “Strategies for the development of new drugs” Estrategias para el desarrollo de nuevos fármacos; 2008

FACULTAD DE FARMACIA Y BIOQUIMICA – UBA

The uses of traditional medicinal plants for primary health care have steadily increased worldwide in recent years. Scientists are in search of new phytochemicals to be developed as useful anti-microbials and anti-inflammatory linked to bioactive natural compounds for treatment of infectious diseases. We have been investigated extracts of from Rosmarinus officinalis leaves (RE) by a combination of bioassays and biochemical analysis to identify bioactive compounds. All rosemary extracts showed a high radical scavenging activity, although different efficacy as antimicrobial agent was observed. Methanol or ethanol extracts contained the most effective antimicrobial activities and the efficacy was associated to the presence of carnosic acid as the main bioactive antimicrobial compounds present in rosemary extracts. The anti-inflammatory activity of rosemary extract was also evaluated using two different experimental models of inflammation, ear and paw edema and confirmed by histopathology analysis using haematoxylin and eosin staining. Water and ethanolic extracts and its major compounds, rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid, respectively, were evaluated for inhibiting the Phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate (PMA) induced ear mouse inflammation. While water extracts and rosmarinic acid did not showed any activity, both, ethanolic extracts and carnosic acid demonstrated to have an important anti-inflammatory activity. The topical administration was the most efficient via as evaluated by paw edema model of inflammation. Also, we found that Ethanolic rosmary extract and carnosic acid significantly inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, the overproduction of nitric oxide in the J774A.1 murine macrophages cell line and the DNA binding activity of NF-κB.. Our results suggest that carnosic acid is the main antimicrobial and inflammatory compound in organic rosemary extracts and may be useful for pharmaceutical plant-based products.