Research update of rosemary and rosemary derivatives related.

  seminal trace...Rosemary extract,CAS.NO.084604-14-8.Antioxidant Water Soluble,RosA 1.5%,4.5%,10%. Antioxidant Oil Fat Soluble,Rosemary Mixed Extracts.Diterpenes(Carnosol+Carnosic Acid) 10%.Carnosol 20%.Carnosic acid 30%.Extract of rosemary; Rosmarinus officinalis extract.Rosemary Diterpenes mainly composed of Carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmariquinone,Carnosic acid,C20H28O4,3650-09-7 .Carnosol,C20H26O4,5957-80-2....

 


   Phytochemical info of rosemary and rosemary derivatives:

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 Definition: rosemary Extract are majorly composed of
 Chemical information disclosed as following table:


   Research update of rosemary and rosemary derivatives related.

   Effects of volatile constituents of rosemary extract on lung inflammation induced by diesel exhaust particles.:Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2006; 99(1):52-7 (ISSN: 1742-7835)

 Epidemiological and experimental studies have implicated that diesel exhaust particles are involved in increases in morbidity and mortality from lung diseases. Recently, we have demonstrated that rosmarinic acid, a polyphenolic liquid component in perilla, inhibits lung inflammation induced by diesel exhaust particles in vivo, partly through its antioxidative property. We have also shown the antioxidative activities of volatile constituents of rosemary extract, the gaseous component in perilla, in vitro. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of intratracheal administration of volatile rosemary extract on lung inflammation induced by diesel exhaust particles. ICR mice were treated with intratracheal administration of volatile rosemary extract before intratracheal exposure to diesel exhaust particles. Twenty-four hr later, diesel exhaust particles exposure elicited lung inflammation characterized by the infiltration of neutrophils and eosinophils, which was confirmed by cellular profile of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and histological examination. Diesel exhaust particles enhanced the protein expressions of interleukin-1beta, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, macrophage chemoattractant protein-1, and keratinocyte chemoattractant in the lung. Pretreatment with rosemary extract significantly inhibited the diesel exhaust particles-induced lung inflammation. Rosemary extract treatment also suppressed the diesel exhaust particles-enhanced lung expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, macrophage chemoattractant protein-1, and keratinocyte chemoattractant. These results suggest that intratracheal administration of rosemary extract can prevent lung inflammation induced by diesel exhaust particles. The preventive effect is mediated, at least partly, through the inhibition of the enhanced lung expressions of macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, macrophage chemoattractant protein-1, and keratinocyte chemoattractants.

   Liquid chromatograpic-mass spectrometric analysis of phenolics and free radical scavenging activity of rosemary extract from different raw material.:J Chromatogr A. 2006; 1120(1-2):221-9 (ISSN: 0021-9673).Almela L; S??nchez-Mu??oz B; Fern??ndez-L??pez JA; Roca MJ; Rabe V.Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain. almela@um.es

 The antioxidant activity of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) extract from different raw materials has been studied. Extracts were prepared from wild or drip-irrigated plants, as well as from the by-product resulting from the distillation of the aromatic essential oil. The radical scavenging activity of rosemary extracts was compared with that of antioxidants widely used in food, such as BHT and delta-tocopherol, using an optimization of the method based on the reduction of the radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The results pointed the excellent antioxidant activity of the crude fresh rosemary extracts, which was almost identical to that of pure delta-tocopherol, and higher than that of BHT; extracts prepared from distilled rosemary showed the lowest activity, although they are also of interest due to the low cost of the raw material. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with diode array (DAD) and electrospray (ESI)-ion trap-MS detection was used to separate and identify the compounds present in the rosemary extracts. Rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid and seven of their terpene-type metabolites, and seven flavones were identified. The drying and/or distillation treatments used with the plant material strongly affected the content of the two compounds of higher antioxidant activity: rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid.

   Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of rosemary extracts linked to their polyphenol composition.:Free Radic Res. 2006; 40(2):223-31 (ISSN: 1071-5762).Moreno S; Scheyer T; Romano CS; Vojnov AA.Instituto de Investigaciones Bioqu??micas, Buenos Aires I.I.B.B.A.-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Fundaci??n Instituto Leloir, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Patricias Argentinas 435, Buenos Aires, 1405, Argentina. smoreno@leloir.org.ar

 Rosmarinus officinalis extracts were investigated by a combination of bioassays and biochemical analysis to identify bioactive compounds. The 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydracyl hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging method, Folin-Ciocaulteau method and HPLC chromatography were used to study the distribution and levels of antioxidants (AOXs). Antimicrobial activity analysis was carried out using the disk diffusion and broth dilution techniques. A good correlation between the AOX activities and total phenol content in the extracts was found. Although all rosemary extracts showed a high radical scavenging activity, a different efficacy as antimicrobial agent was observed. Methanol extract containing 30% of carnosic acid, 16% of carnosol and 5% of rosmarinic acid was the most effective antimicrobial against Gram positive bacteria (minimal inhibition concentration, MIC, between 2 and 15 mug/ml), Gram negative bacteria (MIC between 2 and 60 mug/ml) and yeast (MIC of 4 mug/ml). By contrast, water extract containing only 15% of rosmarinic acid showed a narrow activity. MIC value of the methanol and water extracts is in a good correlation with the values obtained with pure carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid, respectively. Therefore, our results suggested that the antimicrobial rosemary extracts efficacy was associated with their specific phenolic composition. Carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid may be the main bioactive antimicrobial compounds present in rosemary extracts. From a practical point of view, rosemary extract may be a good candidate for functional foods as well as for pharmaceutical plant-based products.

   Effects of a novel gaseous antioxidative system containing a rosemary extract on the oxidation induced by nitrogen dioxide and ultraviolet radiation.:Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2004; 68(4):781-6 (ISSN: 0916-8451)

 Rosemary is commonly used as a spice and a flavoring agent in food processing. Although the antioxidative properties of its extracts have been investigated, there have been few reports on the volatile components of rosemary. We designed a novel antioxidative system which can generate the volatile constituents in the gaseous phase from a rosemary extract and evaluated the gaseous antioxidative activities against both lipid peroxidation and cell death induced by nitrogen dioxide and ultraviolet radiation. The antioxidative effects of the major volatile components on the oxidation of linoleic acid induced by azo compounds were also investigated in a solution. The volatile components in the novel antioxidative system suppressed the Jurkat cell death induced by nitrogen dioxide and the intracellular formation of reactive oxygen species in fibroblast cells induced by ultraviolet radiation. 1,8-Cineole among the volatile components exerted an antioxidative effect against the oxidation of linoleic acid in a solution induced by azo compounds and ultraviolet radiation. These data suggest that the volatile constituents of a rosemary extract had antioxidative properties and that gaseous exposure antioxidant is a promising method for promoting health.

   Subcritical water extraction of antioxidant compounds from rosemary plants.:J Agric Food Chem. 2003; 51(2):375-82 (ISSN: 0021-8561).Iba??ez E; Kub??tov?? A; Se??or??ns FJ; Cavero S; Reglero G; Hawthorne SB.Instituto de Fermentaciones Industriales, CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain. elena@ifi.csic.es

 Subcritical water extraction at several temperatures ranging from 25 to 200 degrees C has been studied to selectively extract antioxidant compounds from rosemary leaves. An exhaustive characterization of the fractions obtained using subcritical water at different temperatures has been carried out by LC-MS, and the antioxidant activities of the extracts have been measured by a free radical method (DPPH). Results indicate high selectivity of the subcritical water toward the most active compounds of rosemary such as carnosol, rosmanol, carnosic acid, methyl carnosate, and some flavonoids such as cirsimaritin and genkwanin. The antioxidant activity of the fractions obtained by extraction at different water temperatures was very high, with values around 11.3 microg/mL, comparable to those achieved by SFE of rosemary leaves. A study of the effect of the temperature on the extraction efficiency of the most typical rosemary antioxidant compounds has been performed.


   Influence of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, L.) on plant sterol oxidation in extra virgin olive oil.:Mol Nutr Food Res. 2006; 50(9):818-23 (ISSN: 1613-4125).D'Evoli L; Huikko L; Lampi AM; Lucarini M; Lombardi-Boccia G; Nicoli S; Piironen V.Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, Food Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. devoli@inran.it

 The objective of this study was to investigate the potential role of rosemary compounds in inhibiting the plant sterol oxidation in extra virgin olive oil during heating. The stability of plant sterols was measured by quantification of plant sterol and sterol oxide formation upon 6 h of heating in both the extra virgin olive oil and its respective oil at 10% rosemary concentration (ROE). The total sterol and sitosterol oxide contents were determined by GC-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and GC-MS techniques, respectively. Heating experiments were carried out at 180 degrees C for 0, 1, 3 and 6 h. The total sterol content in the extra virgin olive oil was 255 mg/100 g and that in the ROE 270 mg/100 g. Sitosterol was the most abundant sterol in both samples (50% of total sterol). The ROE showed a lower content of sitosterol oxides with respect to the extra virgin olive oil during heating: after 6 h of heating only 6.1% of sitosterol oxides were formed, while up to 11.5% of sitosterol oxidized in the extra virgin olive oil. Our findings suggested that rosemary compounds were able to counteract the oxidation of plant sterols in the extra virgin olive oil during heating, preventing formation of potentially harmful compounds to human health.

   Quantitative determination of phenolic diterpenes in rosemary extracts. Aspects of accurate quantification.:J Chromatogr A. 2003; 995(1-2):119-25 (ISSN: 0021-9673).Thorsen MA; Hildebrandt KS.Danisco A/S, Edwin Rahrs Vej 38, DK-8220 Brabrand, Denmark. michael.thorsen@danisco.com

 Practical challenges related to accurate quantification of carnosic acid (CA), carnosol (CAR) and other phenolic diterpenes in extracts of rosemary leaves (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) are presented and discussed. Primary standard material of CA is isolated from rosemary extracts by preparative chromatography with a purity of 98% or higher. The response factors of CAR relative to CA, at 230 and 280 nm, have been estimated to be 0.92 and 1.36, respectively. The stability of pure CA and CAR, dissolved in methanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), DMSO-acetonitrile (10:90) or ethyl acetate-acetonitrile (10:90) and stored at room temperature in the autosampler, is presented. Pure CA dissolved in DMSO is stable for several days, while CAR showed significant degradation within a few hours in all solvents tested. The lack of stability of standards results in practical difficulties with calculating reliable response factors. A correction procedure is presented and documented. A CAR calibration solution was analysed six times for purity during 30 h of storage, while the purity changed from 95 to 70%. Applying this correction procedure resulted in a relative standard deviation on the average response factor of 0.7% (n=6). CA has been dissolved in methanol and stored in clear and amber glass vials, respectively. The solution stored in amber vials degraded faster that in clear vials. The high content of Ti and Fe ions in amber glass seems to catalyse the degradation of CA. In contrast to solutions of pure CAR and CA, their stabilities in solutions of rosemary extracts are fine. A standard addition experiment, covering a time interval of 21 h, resulted in recoveries of CAR and CA of 100 and 96%, respectively.

   Determination of active components in rosemary by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection.:J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2005; 39(3-4):431-7 (ISSN: 0731-7085).Peng Y; Yuan J; Liu F; Ye J.Department of Chemistry, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000 Fujian, PR China. youyuanpeng@hotmail.com

 Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a spice and medicinal herb widely used around the world. Among natural antioxidants, rosemary has been widely accepted as one of the spices with the highest antioxidant activity. A capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of its active components using electrochemical detection was developed. Effects of several important factors were investigated to acquire the optimum conditions. The detection electrode was a 300 microm carbon disc electrode at a working potential of +0.90 V (versus SCE). The analytes can be well separated with 25 min in a 75 cm length fused-silica capillary at a separation voltage of 16 kV in an 80 mmol/l borate buffer (pH 9.0). The current response was linear over about three orders of magnitude with detection limits (S/N=3) ranging from 2 x 10(-7) to 1 x 10(-6)g/ml for all the analytes. The method was successfully used in the analysis of rosemary with relatively simple extraction procedures, and the assay results were satisfactory.

   Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) diterpenes affect lipid polymorphism and fluidity in phospholipid membranes.:Arch Biochem Biophys. 2006; 453(2):224-36 (ISSN: 0003-9861).P??rez-Fons L; Aranda FJ; Guill??n J; Villala??n J; Micol V.Instituto de Biolog??a Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hern??ndez, Avda, de la Universidad s/n, E-03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain.

 Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) extracts are widely used in the food, nutraceutical and cosmetic areas. Their major bioactive components have shown antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic and chemopreventive activities. In this work, the bioactive compounds deriving from rosemary leaves (carnosol, CAR; carnosic acid, CA; rosmadial, RAL; genkwanin, GW; rosmarinic acid, RA) were isolated and their effects on the phase behaviour of model membranes were studied by several complementary biophysical techniques. All diterpenes studied, and specifically CAR, decreased the hydrophobic interactions between acyl chains, as well as broadened and shifted the phospholipid transition to lower temperatures into dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) membranes. In addition, all diterpenes and genkwanin increased the lipid order of fluid DMPC membranes, exhibiting CAR and RAL the strongest membrane-rigidifying effect. The diterpenoids, especially CA and RAL, promoted the formation of hexagonal-H(II) phases at low temperatures in dielaidoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DEPE) membranes which exhibited a smaller tube-to-tube distance compared to pure phospholipid. These diterpenes were also able of promoting isotropic structures in DEPE membranes which consisted of non-periodically ordered lipid structures as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction. In contrast, minor effects were observed by rosmarinic acid. In conclusion, diterpenes and genkwanin from rosemary show membrane-rigidifying effects which may contribute to their antioxidant capacity through hindering diffusion of free radicals.

   Antioxidant activities of rosemary, sage, and sumac extracts and their combinations on stability of natural peanut oil.:J Med Food. 2003; 6(3):267-70 (ISSN: 1096-620X).Ozcan M.Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Sel??uk University, Konya, Turkey. mozcan@selcuk.edu.tr

 The antioxidant efficacy of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), sage (Salvia fruticosa L.), and sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) extracts and combinations at 4% concentrations (wt/vol, extract/oil) were investigated. Methanolic extracts of rosemary, sage, sumac, and their combinations were applied to peanut oil stored at 80 degrees C for 24 h. The antioxidant effect was determined by measuring the peroxide value. All extracts showed antioxidant effects compared with control. But the antioxidant effect of all extracts was low compared with that of butylated hydroxytoluene. Rosemary extract (except for 3 and 4 h) exhibited the most antioxidant effect compared with other individual extracts. Of blends, the most effective ones were sage plus sumac combinations. Sumac extract is also promising as a source of natural antioxidants.


   Carnosic acid and carnosol, phenolic diterpene compounds of the labiate herbs rosemary and sage, are activators of the human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.:Planta Med. 2006; 72(10):881-7 (ISSN: 0032-0943)

 Rau O; Wurglics M; Paulke A; Zitzkowski J; Meindl N; Bock A; Dingermann T; Abdel-Tawab M; Schubert-Zsilavecz M.Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry/ZAFES, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

 Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a ligand activated transcription factor, belonging to the metazoan family of nuclear hormone receptors. Activation of PPARgamma increases the transcription of enzymes involved in primary metabolism, leading to lower blood levels of fatty acids and glucose. Hence, PPARgamma represents the major target for the glitazone type of drugs currently being used clinically for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, activators of PPARgamma show beneficial anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour effects. Utilizing a fusion receptor of the yeast Gal4-DNA binding domain joined to the hinge region and ligand binding domain of the human PPARgamma in combination with a Gal4-driven luciferase reporter gene, cotransfected into Cos7 cells, we tested sage and rosemary extracts prepared with 80 % aqueous ethanol for possible PPARgamma activation. This revealed that both extracts are capable of selectively activating Gal4-PPARgamma fusion receptor, in a concentration-dependent manner, with EC (50) values of 22.8 +/- 8.4 mg/L and 33.7 +/- 7.3 mg/L for rosemary and sage, respectively. Subsequent analysis of the characteristic constituents revealed the phenolic diterpene compounds carnosol, present in both herbs, and carnosic acid to be active principles of these extracts, showing EC (50) values of 41.2 +/- 5.9 microM and 19.6 +/- 2.0 microM, respectively. Thus it can be concluded that the glucose lowering effect reported recently for rosemary may be attributed to PPARgamma activation. Moreover, our observations may also explain the anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects of both compounds published previously.

   Relevance of carnosic acid concentrations to the selection of rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis (L.), accessions for optimization of antioxidant yield.:J Agric Food Chem. 2004; 52(20):6101-7 (ISSN: 0021-8561)

 Wellwood CR; Cole RA.The National Herb Centre, Banbury Road, Warmington, nr. Banbury, Oxfordshire OX17 1DF, United Kingdom. wellwood@globalnet.co.uk

 Methods were developed to identify and select accessions of rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis (L.), producing optimum antioxidant activity. Extracts from 12 different rosemary accessions, using three solvents of varying polarity, were assayed for their antioxidant activity, and their major antioxidant compounds were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Carnosic acid concentrations were correlated with (i) the free radical scavenging activity of these extracts, as measured by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay (adjusted R(2) = 77.3%) and (ii) their inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation, as measured by the beta-carotene assay (adjusted R(2) = 44.1%). The correlation was broadly confirmed by the production of volatile aldehydes as measured by the hexanal assay. The variation of carnosic acid concentrations in extracts of 29 accessions, grown in field trials at three sites in England, was determined.

   Fast high performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet-visible quantification of principal phenolic antioxidants in fresh rosemary.:J Chromatogr A. 2005; 1100(1):20-5 (ISSN: 0021-9673).Troncoso N; Sierra H; Carvajal L; Delpiano P; G??nther G.Fundaci??n Chile, Area Agroindustria, Parque Rabat 6165 Vitacura, Santiago, Chile.

 An improved HPLC method is reported for the determination of rosemary's principal phenolic antioxidants, rosmarinic and carnosic acids, providing a fast and simultaneous determination for both of them by using a solid phase column. The analysis was performed with fresh methanolic extractions of Rosmarinus officinalis. To quantify the amount of antioxidants in a fast and reproducible way by means of UV-vis absorption measurements, a spectrophotometric multi-wavelength calibration curve was constructed based on the antioxidant contents obtained with the recently developed HPLC method. This UV-vis methodology can be extended to the determination of other compounds and herbs if the restrictions mentioned in the text are respected.

   Total phenolics and antioxidant activities of fenugreek, green tea, black tea, grape seed, ginger, rosemary, gotu kola, and ginkgo extracts, vitamin E, and tert-butylhydroquinone.:J Agric Food Chem. 2004; 52(16):5183-6 (ISSN: 0021-8561).Rababah TM; Hettiarachchy NS; Horax R Department of Food Science.University of Arkansas, 2650 North Young Avenue, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704, USA.

 The total phenolics and antioxidant activities of fenugreek, green tea, black tea, grape seed, ginger, rosemary, gotu kola, and ginkgo extracts, vitamin E, and tert-butylhydroquinone, were determined. Grape seed and green tea were analyzed for their phenolic constituents using high-performance liquid chromatography. The total phenolics of the plant extracts, determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, ranged from 24.8 to 92.5 mg of chlorogenic acid equivalent/g dry material. The antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts determined by conjugated diene measurement of methyl linoleate were 3.4-86.3%. The antioxidant activity of the extracts using chicken fat by an oxidative stability instrument (4.6-10.2 h of induction time) followed a similar trend in antioxidant activity as determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Seven phenolics in grape seed and green tea extracts were identified that ranged from 15.38 to 1158.49 and 18.3 to 1087.02 mg/100 g of extract, respectively. Plant extracts such as green tea and grape seed extracts can be used to retard lipid oxidation in a variety of food products.

   Dietary administration of an extract from rosemary leaves enhances the liver microsomal metabolism of endogenous estrogens and decreases their uterotropic action in CD-1 mice.:Carcinogenesis. 1998; 19(10):1821-7 (ISSN: 0143-3334).Zhu BT; Loder DP; Cai MX; Ho CT; Huang MT; Conney AH.Department of Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Rutgers--The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854-8020, USA.

 We evaluated the effects of a methanol extract from the leaves of the plant Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) on the metabolism and action of estradiol and estrone. Treatment of female CD-1 mice with 2% rosemary in AIN-76A diet for 3 weeks increased the liver microsomal 2-hydroxylation of estradiol and estrone by approximately 150%, increased their 6-hydroxylation by approximately 30% and inhibited the 16alpha-hydroxylation of estradiol by approximately 50%. Treatment of female CD-1 mice with 2% rosemary diet for 3 weeks also stimulated the liver microsomal glucuronidation of estradiol and estrone by 54-67% and 37-56%, respectively. In additional studies, feeding 2% rosemary diet to ovariectomized CD-1 mice for 3 weeks inhibited the uterotropic action of estradiol and estrone by 35-50% compared with animals fed a control diet. The results of this study showed that feeding female mice a 2% rosemary diet increased the liver microsomal oxidation and glucuronidation of estradiol and estrone and inhibited their uterotropic action.


   Pharmacology of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Linn.) and its therapeutic potentials.:Indian J Exp Biol. 1999; 37(2):124-30 (ISSN: 0019-5189).al-Sereiti MR; Abu-Amer KM; Sen P.Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Fateh University of Medical Sciences, Tripoli, Libya.

 The use of plants is as old as the mankind. Natural products are cheap and claimed to be safe. They are also suitable raw material for production of new synthetic agents. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Linn.) is a common household plant grown in many parts of the world. It is used for flavouring food, a beverage drink, as well as in cosmetics; in folk.medicine it is used as an antispasmodic in renal colic and dysmenorrhoea, in relieving respiratory disorders and to stimulate growth of hair. Extract of rosemary relaxes smooth muscles of trachea and intestine, and has choleretic, hepatoprotective and antitumerogenic activity. The most important constituents of rosemary are caffeic acid and its derivatives such as rosmarinic acid. These compounds have antioxidant effect. The phenolic compound, rosmarinic acid, obtains one of its phenolic rings from phenylalanine via caffeic acid and the other from tyrosine via dihydroxyphenyl-lactic acid. Relatively large-scale production of rosmarinic acid can be obtained from the cell culture of Coleus blumei Benth when supplied exogenously with phenylalanine and tyrosine. Rosmarinic acid is well absorbed from gastrointestinal tract and from the skin. It increases the production of prostaglandin E2 and reduces the production of leukotriene B4 in human polymorphonuclear leucocytes, and inhibits the complement system. It is concluded that rosemary and its constituents especially caffeic acid derivatives such as rosmarinic acid have a therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of bronchial asthma, spasmogenic disorders, peptic ulcer, inflammatory diseases, hepatotoxicity, atherosclerosis, ischaemic heart disease, cataract, cancer and poor sperm motility.
 

   Antimicrobial effect of rosemary extracts.:J Food Prot. 2000; 63(10):1359-68 (ISSN: 0362-028X).Del Campo J; Amiot MJ; Nguyen-The C.Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Station de Technologie des Produits V??g??taux, Domaine Saint-Paul, Avignon, France.

 A rosemary extract commercially exploited (Oxy'less) as an antioxidant of lipids in foods was dissolved in ethanol (100 mg/ml), and the solution was tested against foodborne microorganisms. For gram-positive bacteria, the MIC of the ethanolic solution was 1% for Leuconostoc mesenteroides, 0.5% for Listeria monocytogenes, 0.5% for Staphylococcus aureus, 0.13% for Streptococcus mutans, and 0.06% for Bacillus cereus. It slowed the growth of Penicillium roquefortii and Botrytis cinerea. Up to 1% of the ethanolic solution had no activity on the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Erwinia carotovora and on the yeasts Rhodotorula glutinis and Cryptococcus laurentii. Antibacterial activity of the rosemary extract was strongly influenced by the composition of the media. The MIC was reduced by low pH, high NaCl contents, and low temperatures. Low pH and high NaCl concentration had a synergistic effect on the MIC of the rosemary extract for S. aureus. Lipids, surface-active agents, and some proteins decreased its antibacterial activity, whereas pectin had no effect. The inhibitory effect was little modified by heat treatment (100 degrees C). The natural microflora of pasteurized zucchini broth was inhibited by 0.5% of the rosemary extract. The antibacterial activity was linked to the compounds extracted with hexane, which are presumably phenolic diterpenoids.

   Enhancement of polyphenol recovery from rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and sage (Salvia officinalis) by enzyme-assisted ensiling (ENLAC).:J Agric Food Chem. 1999; 47(7):2959-62 (ISSN: 0021-8561).Weinberg ZG; Akiri B; Potoyevski E; Kanner J.Forage Preservation and By-Products Research Unit and Department of Food Science, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. gashbell@netvision.net.il

 The efficacy of enzyme-assisted ensiling (ENLAC) in the recovery of polyphenols from rosemary and sage was tested. Fresh rosemary and sage were chopped and ensiled in 0.5-L anaerobic jars. Treatments comprised control (no additives), 0.5% glucose and lactic acid bacteria, and 1% cellulase plus 1% hemicellulase plus pectinase. Following storage at room temperature for 45 days (experiment 1) and 26 days (experiment 2), polyphenols were extracted from the silages in ethanol either by direct blending or by cold extraction. The enzyme treatment resulted in silages with the lowest pH values, lowest fiber content, highest water-soluble sugar content, and highest polyphenol recovery; this treatment resulted in increased polyphenol recovery from rosemary and sage, by 100 and 20%, respectively. Comparison between direct blending and cold extraction revealed similar efficiency of polyphenol recovery.

   Chemistry and antioxidative factors in rosemary and sage.:Biofactors. 2000; 13(1-4):161-6 (ISSN: 0951-6433).Ho CT; Wang M; Wei GJ; Huang TC; Huang MT.Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520, USA. ho@aesop.rutgers.edu

 Rosemary and sage are common spices used in food. In our recent search of cancer chemopreventive agents from spices, the alcohol extracts of rosemary and sage showed strong antumorigenic activities. Rosemary and sage extracts contain active antioxidative factors such as phenolic diterpenes, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Here we discuss chromatographic methods used to separate and purify compounds from these spices and MS and NMR spectrometry to identify the isolated compounds. Several new compounds isolated from sage were determined to be 6-O-caffeoyl-beta-D-fructofuranosyl-(2-->1)-beta-glucopyranoside, 1-O-caffeoyl-beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 1-O-p-hydroxybenzoyl-beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 1-O-(3-methyl-2,3,4-trihydroxybutyl)-6-O-feruloyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 4-hydroxyacetophenone 4-O-[5-O-(3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzoyl)-beta-D-apiofrunosyl]-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 1-O-[2-hydroxy-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)phenyl]-6-O-trans-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside.

   Carnosol, an antioxidant in rosemary, suppresses inducible nitric oxide synthase through down-regulating nuclear factor-kappaB in mouse macrophages.:Carcinogenesis. 2002; 23(6):983-91 (ISSN: 0143-3334).Lo AH; Liang YC; Lin-Shiau SY; Ho CT; Lin JK.Institute of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 1, Jen-Ai Road, Taipei, Taiwan.

 Carnosol is a naturally occurring phytopolyphenol found in rosemary. Carnosol functions as antioxidant and anticarcinogen. In the present study, we compared the antioxidant activity of carnosol and other compounds extracted from rosemary. Carnosol showed potent antioxidative activity in alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals scavenge and DNA protection from Fenton reaction. High concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) are produced by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in inflammation and multiple stages of carcinogenesis. Treatment of mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line with carnosol markly reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated NO production in a concentration-related manner with an IC50 of 9.4 microM; but other tested compounds had slight effects. Western blot, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and northern blot analyses demonstrated that carnosol decreased LPS-induced iNOS mRNA and protein expression. Carnosol treatment showed reduction of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) subunits translocation and NF-kappaB DNA binding activity in activated macrophages. Carnosol also showed inhibition of iNOS and NF-kappaB promoter activity in transient transfection assay. These activities were referred to down-regulation of inhibitor kappaB (IkappaB) kinase (IKK) activity by carnosol (5 microM), thus inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation as well as degradation of IkappaBalpha. Carnosol also inhibited LPS-induced p38 and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation at a higher concentration (20 microM). These results suggest that carnosol suppresses the NO production and iNOS gene expression by inhibiting NF-kappaB activation, and provide possible mechanisms for its anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive action.


   Combined use of supercritical fluid extraction, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of antioxidants from rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.).:J Agric Food Chem. 2000; 48(9):4060-5 (ISSN: 0021-8561).Iba??ez E; Cifuentes A; Crego AL; Se??or??ns FJ; Cavero S; Reglero G.Area de Tecnolog??a de Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Aut??noma de Madrid, 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain

 Antioxidants from rosemary were determined by the combined use of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) prior to reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) or micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The separation of antioxidants found in the SFE fractions was achieved by using a new MEKC method and a published HPLC procedure, both with diode array detection. The characterization of the different antioxidants was further done by HPLC-mass spectrometry. Advantages and drawbacks of HPLC and MEKC for analyzing the antioxidants found in the different extracts are discussed. From the results it is concluded that HPLC renders higher peak area and is better in its reproducibility than MEKC; both techniques provide similar analysis time reproducibility. The main advantage of MEKC is its much higher separation speed, which is demonstrated to be useful for the quick adjustment of SFE conditions, allowing rosemary fractions of higher antioxidative power to be obtained quickly. Moreover, the possibilities of this approach for following the degradation of antioxidants are discussed.

   Antioxidative activity of rosemary extract in lipid fraction of minced meat balls during storage in a freezer.:Nahrung. 2000; 44(1):38-41 (ISSN: 0027-769X).Karpi??ska M; Borowski J; Danowska-Oziewicz M.University of Agriculture and Technology, Institute of Human Nutrition, Olsztyn, Poland.

 The influence of ethanol rosemary extract on lipid fraction of minced meat balls during storage in the freezer was studied. The quality of stored products was evaluated sensorically by the scale method and profiling of taste and aroma. Oxidative changes were investigated on the base of the changes in malonaldehyde content. It was observed that the addition of rosemary extract delayed the oxidation of lipid fraction of products. The antioxidative effect was related to the concentration of this extract in the product. The sensory changes and their intensity in products during storage depended on the amount of the extract added and the time of storage. The addition of the extract delayed the appearance of rancid taste in products.

   Effect of dietary administration of oil extracts from rosemary and sage on lipid oxidation in broiler meat.:Br Poult Sci. 1998; 39(2):235-40 (ISSN: 0007-1668).Lopez-Bote CJ; Gray JI; Gomaa EA; Flegal CJ.Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, USA.

 1. Oxidation of meat and membrane from broilers fed on a diet containing 500 mg/kg rosemary and sage extracts was compared to meat and membrane oxidation from broilers receiving a control diet (not enriched with antioxidants) and a diet enriched in alpha-tocopheryl acetate (200 mg/kg). 2. After 9 d of refrigerated storage, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances of white meat from broilers fed on the control and the alpha-tocopheryl acetate-enriched diets were 0.51 and 0.25 mg malonaldehyde/kg meat, respectively. Values for meat from broilers fed on the diets containing the rosemary and sage extracts were in the range 0.30 to 0.35 mg malonaldehyde/kg meat, significantly lower than those from birds fed on the control diet. A similar trend was observed in the dark meat but differences were not significant at 9 d of storage. Similar trends were observed in raw samples stored at -20 degrees C for up to 4 months and in samples cooked at 70 degrees C and kept stored under refrigeration for up to 4 d. 3. The meat from broilers fed on the diet containing spice extracts had smaller concentrations of total cholesterol oxidation products (COPS) than meat from the control group (P < 0.05). Supplemental alpha-tocopheryl acetate reduced the COPS concentrations to a greater extent than did spice extracts (P < 0.05). 4. A similar trend was observed in microsomal fraction isolates, in which the rate of metmyoglobin/hydrogen peroxide-catalysed lipid peroxidation was lower in animals receiving spice extracts than in those fed on the basal diet.

   Induction of heat shock protein synthesis in human skin fibroblasts in response to oxidative stress: regulation by a natural antioxidant from rosemary extract.:Int J Tissue React. 2001; 23(2):51-8 (ISSN: 0250-0868).Calabrese V; Scapagnini G; Catalano C; Bates TE; Dinotta F; Micali G; Giuffrida Stella AM.Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Section, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Chemistry, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95100 Catania, Italy. Calabres@mbox.Unict.it

 Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in the pathogenesis of the severe connective tissue damage present in several photodermatologic disorders, including drug-induced phototoxicity, porphyrias and photoaging. Oxidative stress has been shown to alter the expression of mammalian antioxidant enzymes and to enhance numerous transcription factors, including nuclear factor-kappa B, stress-activated protein kinase and heat shock factor. The latter represents the transcription factor for the synthesis of cytoprotective proteins called heat shock proteins. In this study, we investigated the role of oxidative stress and sulfdryl (SH) groups in the induction of HSP70 in human skin fibroblasts and the effect of antioxidants. We found that significant HSP70 induction occurred after exposure to HOOH and this was associated with marked perturbation in protein and nonprotein SH groups and with a considerable increase in protein carbonyl levels. Treatment with a natural antioxidant from rosemary extract provided notable protection against stress-induced modifications of cellular SH and carbonyl content, maintaining functional levels of cytoprotective heat shock protein 70. Our results point to the possible involvement of redox mechanisms in the heat shock signal transduction pathway, which may play an important regulatory role in the genetic mechanisms of tolerance to oxidative stress. Exogenous supplementation of an antioxidant hydrophilic extract from rosemary could have cosmetic benefits and may represent an efficient tool to minimize free radical-induced skin damage.

   Induction of cytochrome P450 and/or detoxication enzymes by various extracts of rosemary: description of specific patterns.:Food Chem Toxicol. 2001; 39(9):907-18 (ISSN: 0278-6915).Debersac P; Heydel JM; Amiot MJ; Goudonnet H; Artur Y; Suschetet M; Siess MH.Unit?? Mixte de Recherche de Toxicologie Alimentaire, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique-Ecole Nationale Sup??rieure de Biologie Appliqu??e ?? la Nutrition et ?? l'Alimentation, BP 86510, 17 rue Sully, 21065 Cedex, Dijon, France.

 The ability of rosemary to modulate cytochrome P450 (CYP) and detoxication enzymes in rat liver was evaluated by comparing the effects of dried leaves and leaf extracts with different chemical compositions: essential oil (EO) containing monoterpenes, a dichloromethane extract (DCME) containing phenolic diterpenes and a water-soluble extract (WSE) containing phenolic compounds such as rosmarinic acid and flavonoids. Chemical analyses were done in order to characterize the composition of extracts. Male Wistar rats received the leaves or extracts of rosemary in their diet at 0.5% (w/w) for 2 weeks. The effects of such treatments were evaluated for CYP (1A, 2B, 2E1), glutathione S-transferase (GST), NAD(P)H: quinone reductase (QR) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities and on protein levels (immunoblot analyses). Expression of specific UGT isoforms (mRNA semi-quantification by RT-PCR) was measured. Our study reports that EO selectively induced CYP, particularly CYP2B. WSE enhanced both CYP and detoxication enzymes. DCME acted as a monofunctional inducer, inducing GST, QR and UGT, in particular UGT1A6. Considering the specific pattern of induction obtained with DCME and WSE treatment, it should be relevant to evaluate the chemopreventive potency of these extracts on carcinogenesis in animal models.


   Effect of dietary supplementation with rosemary extract and alpha-tocopheryl acetate on lipid oxidation in eggs enriched with omega3-fatty acids.:Poult Sci. 2001; 80(4):460-7 (ISSN: 0032-5791).Galobart J; Barroeta AC; Baucells MD; Codony R; Ternes W.Unitat de Nutrici?? i Alimentaci?? Animals, Facultat de Veterin??ria, Universitat Aut??noma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.

 The antioxidant effect of dietary supplementation with 500 or 1,000 mg/kg of a commercial rosemary extract vs. 200 mg/kg of alpha-tocopheryl acetate (alpha-TA) on the lipid oxidative stability of omega3-fatty acid (FA)-enriched eggs was compared. Lipid oxidation was measured in fresh eggs by the lipid hydroperoxide level and malonaldehyde content. Stability to iron-induced lipid oxidation was also measured. Results showed the clear antioxidant effect of dietary alpha-TA supplementation on omega3-FA enriched eggs. In contrast, dietary supplementation with rosemary extract showed no effect on any of the lipid oxidation parameters evaluated.

   Supercritical fluid extraction and fractionation of different preprocessed rosemary plants.:J Agric Food Chem. 1999; 47(4):1400-4 (ISSN: 0021-8561).Ib????ez E; Oca A; de Murga G; L??pez-Sebasti??n S; Tabera J; Reglero G.Instituto de Fermentaciones Industriales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.

 Two-step supercritical fluid extraction of rosemary leaves at selected conditions of pressure and temperature is proposed to divide the oleoresin into two fractions with different antioxidant activities and essential oil compositions. Rosemary leaves obtained from different sources have been extracted and evaluated in terms of antioxidant activity and essential oil yield and composition. Also, a new device is proposed to improve the performance of the technique in terms of sample collection after SFE.

   Effects of a water-soluble extract of rosemary and its purified component rosmarinic acid on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in rat liver.:Food Chem Toxicol. 2001; 39(2):109-17 (ISSN: 0278-6915).Debersac P; Vernevaut MF; Amiot MJ; Suschetet M; Siess MH.Unit?? Mixte de Recherche de Toxicologie Alimentaire, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique-Ecole Nationale Sup??rieure de Biologie Appliqu??e ?? la Nutrition et ?? l'Alimentation, BP 86510, Dijon, France. debersac@dijon.inra.fr

 The effects of a water-soluble extract (WSE) of rosemary and its purified antioxidant rosmarinic acid (RA) on xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XME) were studied in rat liver after dietary administration. The modulation of phase I enzymes such as cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A, 2B, 2E1, 3A, and phase II enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase (GST), quinone reductase (QR) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) was evaluated by measuring enzyme activities with specific substrates. Protein levels of CYPs and rGST A1/A2, A3/A5, M1, M2 and P1 were measured using antibodies in Western blots. Caffeic acid was also studied because it results from RA biotransformation in rat after oral administration. Male SPF Wistar rats received the different compounds at 0.5% (w/w) incorporated into their diet for 2 weeks. WSE, containing RA, flavones and monoterpenes enhanced CYP 1A1, 2B1/2, 2E1 and GST (especially rGST A3/A5, M1 and M2), QR and UGT. On the contrary, no modification of XME was observed in response to RA or CA (except for a slight increase of UGT activity after CA treatment). The induction of XME by WSE could be attributed to flavones, monoterpenes or an additive effect of all components.

   Occupational allergic contact dermatitis from carnosol, a naturally-occurring compound present in rosemary.:Contact Dermatitis. 1997; 37(3):99-100 (ISSN: 0105-1873).Hjorther AB; Christophersen C; Hausen BM; Menn?? T.Department of Dermatology, K??benhavns Amtssygehus Gentofte, Hellerup, Denmark.

 A 56-year-old man, working in a food processing factory, developed contact dermatitis of his hands, forearms, and face after the introduction of a new herb extract (Rosmanox) made from the leaves of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). He reacted to carnosol, the main constituent of Rosmanox. 226 controls were negative. To our knowledge, this is the 1st reported case of contact dermatitis from carnosol.

   Ursolic acid as a trypanocidal constituent in rosemary.:Biol Pharm Bull. 2002; 25(11):1485-7 (ISSN: 0918-6158)

 The MeOH extract of the leaves of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) completely inhibited the motility of cultured epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi at the concentration of 2 mg/ml after 2 h of incubation. Activity-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract has resulted in the isolation of three triterpene acids, betulinic, oleanolic and ursolic acids. Ursolic acid stopped the movement of all T. cruzi epimastigotes at the minimum concentration (MC(100)) of 40 micro g/ml (88 micro M) after 48 h of incubation. Oleanolic acid was less active (MC(100): 250 micro g/ml, 550 micro M) and betulinic acid was practically inactive.


   Recovery mechanism of the antioxidant activity from carnosic acid quinone, an oxidized sage and rosemary antioxidant.:J Agric Food Chem. 2002; 50(21):5863-9 (ISSN: 0021-8561)

 A solution of carnosic acid quinone, which is a radical chain-termination product having no antioxidant activity in the antioxidant reaction of carnosic acid, recovers potent antioxidant activity upon standing. The HPLC analysis of an aged solution of carnosic acid quinone revealed that several antioxidants are produced in the solution. From the time-course and quantitative analyses of the formation of the products and their structural analysis, an antioxidant mechanism from carnosic acid quinone is proposed that includes a redox reaction of carnosic acid quinone in addition to the isomerization to lactone derivatives. In the first stage of antioxidation, carnosic acid, the reduction product from carnosic acid quinone, contributes to the potent antioxidant activity of the solution. This proposed mechanism can explain one of the reasons for the strong antioxidant activity of the extract of the popular herbs sage and rosemary.

   Carnosol, a component of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) protects nigral dopaminergic neuronal cells.:Neuroreport. 2006; 17(16):1729-33 (ISSN: 0959-4965)

 Carnosol, a major component of Rosmarinus officinalis, is a phenolic diterpene that has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of carnosol on rotenone-induced neurotoxicity in cultured dopaminergic cells. Results showed that cell viability was significantly improved with carnosol through downregulation of caspase-3. Furthermore, carnosol significantly increased the tyrosine hydroxylase, Nurr1, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. These results suggest that carnosol may have potential as a possible compound for the development of new agents to treat Parkinson's disease.

   Common herbs, essential oils, and monoterpenes potently modulate bone metabolism.:Bone. 2003; 32(4):372-80 (ISSN: 8756-3282).M??hlbauer RC; Lozano A; Palacio S; Reinli A; Felix R.Bone Biology Group, Department of Clinical Research, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 35, Switzerland. roman.muhlbauer@dkf5.unibe.ch

 During our survey of herbs looking for activity on bone metabolism, we found that the dried leaves of sage strongly inhibit bone resorption. Therefore, we investigated several common herbs rich in essential oils (sage, rosemary, and thyme) and essential oils extracted from these herbs and other plants (oils of sage, rosemary, juniper, pine, dwarf pine, turpentine, and eucalyptus) as well as their monoterpene components (thujone, eucalyptol, camphor, borneol, thymol, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, bornylacetate as well as menthol) and found that they inhibit bone resorption when added to the food of rats. Pine oil, used as a representative essential oil, protects an osteoporosis model, the aged ovariectomized rat, from bone loss. The monoterpenes borneol, thymol, and camphor are directly inhibitory in the osteoclast resorption pit assay. Nonpolar monoterpenes may require metabolism to be active in vitro, for example, cis-verbenol, a metabolite of alpha-pinene occurring in human urine, inhibits osteoclast activity in contrast to the parent compound. Within 30 min borneol inhibits the formation of actin rings, a characteristic of resorbing osteoclasts indicating cell polarization. Both the in vitro and the in vivo effects of borneol are reversible. Our study demonstrates for the first time that essential oils and monoterpenes are efficient inhibitors of bone resorption in the rat.

   Testing various herbs for antithrombotic effect.:Nutrition. 2005; 21(5):580-7 (ISSN: 0899-9007)

 OBJECTIVE: Prevention of arterial thrombotic diseases has high priority in developed countries. Because people who eat inappropriate food are prone to thrombotic events, regular intake of an antithrombotic diet may offer a convenient and effective way of prevention. The aim of the present study was to find herbs that have antithrombotic effects. METHODS: Herbs were crushed and centrifuged and the juice obtained was filtered. The effect of filtrate on platelet-rich thrombus formation was assessed by a shear-induced in vitro platelet function test (hemostatometry). Filtrates showing significant antithrombotic activity were further assessed by using a laser-induced in vivo thrombosis test in mice. The effect of orally administered herb filtrates on flow-mediated vasodilation was also measured. RESULTS: Common thyme and rosemary showed significant antithrombotic activity in vitro and in vivo. Neither herb affected flow-mediated vasodilation. CONCLUSION: Some herbs possess antithrombotic effects in experimental models of thrombosis. The mechanism of the antithrombotic effect of common thyme and rosemary may involve a direct inhibitory effect on platelets.

   Drought-induced changes in the redox state of alpha-tocopherol, ascorbate, and the diterpene carnosic acid in chloroplasts of Labiatae species differing in carnosic acid contents.:Plant Physiol. 2003; 131(4):1816-25 (ISSN: 0032-0889).Munn??-Bosch S; Alegre L.Departament de Biologia Vegetal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 645, Spain. smunne@ub.edu

 To assess antioxidative protection by carnosic acid (CA) in combination with that of other low-molecular weight (M(r)) antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol [alpha-T] and ascorbate [Asc]) in chloroplasts, we measured endogenous concentrations of these antioxidants, their redox states, and other indicators of oxidative stress in chloroplasts of three Labiatae species, differing in their CA contents, exposed to drought stress in the field. Damage to the photosynthetic apparatus was observed neither in CA-containing species (rosemary [Rosmarinus officinalis]) and sage [Salvia officinalis]) nor in CA-free species (lemon balm [Melissa officinalis]) at relative leaf water contents between 86% and 58%, as indicated by constant maximum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry ratios and malondialdehyde levels in chloroplasts. The three species showed significant increases in alpha-T, a shift of the redox state of alpha-T toward its reduced state, and increased Asc levels in chloroplasts under stress. Lemon balm showed the highest increases in alpha-T and Asc in chloroplasts under stress, which might compensate for the lack of CA. Besides, whereas in rosemary and sage, the redox state of CA was shifted toward its oxidized state and the redox state of Asc was kept constant, lemon balm displayed a shift of the redox state of Asc toward its oxidized state under stress. In vitro experiments showed that both CA and Asc protect alpha-T and photosynthetic membranes against oxidative damage. These results are consistent with the contention that CA, in combination with other low-M(r) antioxidants, helps to prevent oxidative damage in chloroplasts of water-stressed plants, and they show functional interdependence among different low-M(r) antioxidants in chloroplasts.


   Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of natural extracts in vitro and in ground beef.:J Food Prot. 2004; 67(1):148-55 (ISSN: 0362-028X).Ahn J; Gr??n IU; Mustapha A.Department of Food Science, 256 William Stringer Wing, Eckles Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.

 Inhibition of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes by grape seed extract (ActiVin) and pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) and the effect of these natural extracts on the oxidative stability of raw ground beef were studied. In an agar dilution test, the MICs of ActiVin and Pycnogenol were determined to be 4.0 mg/ml for 4.43 log CFU per plate of E. coli O157:H7 and 4.0 mg/ml for 4.38 log CFU per plate of L. monocytogenes. In an inhibition curve test, populations of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and L. monocytogenes fell to below the detection limit (10 CFU/ml) after 16 h of incubation. The numbers of E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium declined by 1.08, 1.24, and 1.33 log CFU/g, respectively, in raw ground beef treated with 1% Pycnogenol after 9 days of refrigerated storage. ActiVin (1%) and oleoresin rosemary (1%) resulted in an approximately 1-log CFU/g reduction in the populations of all three pathogens after 9 days. The addition of 1% ActiVin and Pycnogenol contributed to the maintenance of an acidic pH of 5.80 and 5.58, respectively, in raw ground beef. Compared to the control, all treatments increased in L* (lightness), with the exception of ActiVin. ActiVin and oleoresin rosemary had the highest a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values, respectively. ActiVin most effectively retarded lipid oxidation, followed by Pycnogenol. The results suggest that these natural extracts have potential to be used with other preservative methods to reduce pathogenic numbers, lipid oxidation, and color degradation in ground beef.

   Female sexual dysfunction: classification, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment.:Harefuah. 2004; 143(11):804-10, 838 (ISSN: 0017-7768).Luria M; Hochner-Celnikier D; Mock M.Sexual Therapy Clinic, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah University Hospital, Mt Scopus. barlu@internet-zahav.net

 The successful pharmacological treatment of erectile dysfunction in males has led to increasing interest in the sexual problems of women. Yet in recent years there has been growing consensus regarding the differences between male and female sexuality. William Masters and Virginia Johnson's model of sexual response, revised by Helen Singer Kaplan, has been generally accepted for many decades. This model consists of 4 successive phases: desire, excitement (arousal), orgasm and resolution. Rosemary Basson has suggested a different model, valid especially in long-term relationships. According to Basson, a woman may decide to seek a stimuli necessary to ignite sexual desire, for reasons which are not sexual (such as the need for intimacy or emotional bonding). The desire develops at a latter stage, as a consequence and not as a cause. As the understanding of the sexual response grows, new methods of classification and treatment are being developed. Female sexual dysfunction is common, frequently neglected and has a significant impact on the lives of women. It has a diverse etiology including anatomical, physiological, medical as well as psychological and social factors. The assessment of these disorders incorporates both medical and psychological evaluation. The treatment includes education, improvement of inter-personal communication, behavioral treatment and the solution of medical problems. Different medications are being developed but most have yet to be proven effective. This review presents the female sexual response as it is understood today and the different methods of classification, diagnosis and treatment of female sexual dysfunction.

   Antioxidant activity of a catechol derived from abietic acid.:J Agric Food Chem. 2006; 54(2):342-8 (ISSN: 0021-8561)Justino GC; Correia CF; Mira L; Borges Dos Santos RM; Martinho Sim??es JA; Silva AM; Santos C; Gigante B.Departamento de Qu??mica e Bioqu??mica and Centro de Qu??mica e Bioqu??mica, Faculdade de Ci??ncias, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.

 The demand for novel effective antioxidant-based drugs has led to the synthesis and evaluation of the antioxidant potential in several molecules derived from natural compounds. In this work the in vitro antioxidant activity of an abietic acid-derived catechol (methyl 11,12-dihydroxyabietate-8,11,13-trien-18-oate, MDTO) was evaluated. This substance, possessing important biological properties, is similar to carnosic acid, a natural antioxidant from rosemary or sage leaves. Aiming to understand the antioxidant activity of MDTO, the energetics of its O-H bond, using time-resolved photoacoustic calorimetry (TR-PAC), was investigated. On energetic grounds it is predicted that MDTO is a good free radical scavenger, although its activity is lower than that of quercetin, a very effective antioxidant, which was used for comparison. In agreement with these predictions, the DPPH(*) and ABTS(*+) radical scavenging activities are lower than those of quercetin. In addition, MDTO also reacts with HOCl, a powerful proinflammatory oxidant produced by activated neutrophils, and protects liposomes against iron-ascorbate-induced oxidation. The discussion of these results foresees potential applications of MDTO as an antioxidant.

   Effects of relative humidity and temperature conditions on pollen fluorochromatic reaction of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae).:Protoplasma. 2006; 228(1-3):127-30 (ISSN: 0033-183X).Aronne G; De Micco V; Scala M.Laboratorio di Botanica ed Ecologia Riproduttiva, Dipartimento di Arboricoltura, Botanica e Patologia Vegetale, Universit?? degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Naples, Italy. aronne@unina.it

 Mediterranean ecosystems are characterized by seasonal and annual fluctuations in humidity and temperature which are considered limiting factors for plant growth and might have played a key role in the selection of species that compose the present vegetation. After anther release, pollen is generally exposed to various changes of temperature and humidity conditions, therefore its viability and consequently successful fruit set are strongly affected by these environmental parameters. The aim of this research was to study the effect of different combinations of humidity and temperature on pollen membrane integrity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. in order to investigate possible relations between pollen features and climatic conditions during flowering. This species is an evergreen perennial shrub, occurring among the sclerophyllous vegetation of Mediterranean maquis. In many areas of Southern Italy, it shows a flowering period starting from the beginning of winter and spreading throughout spring months. The analysis of data showed that duration of pollen viability of R. officinalis is enhanced by the co-occurrence of low temperature and high humidity. Moreover, these conditions are able to newly raise the viability of pollen kept at higher temperatures and lower humidity. These observations indicate that reactivation of the pollen membrane depends on low temperature apart from high humidity. Therefore "vernalization" of rosemary pollen enhances its viability, supporting that pollen behavior is adapted to winter condition and allows flowering in winter and early spring.

   Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil obtained via supercritical fluid extraction.:J Food Prot. 2005; 68(4):790-5 (ISSN: 0362-028X).Santoyo S; Cavero S; Jaime L; Iba??ez E; Se??or??ns FJ; Reglero G.Area de Tecnolog??a de Alimentos, Universidad Aut??noma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain. susana.santoyo@uam.es

 The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil-rich fractions obtained by supercritical CO2 extraction from Rosmarinus officinalis L. were investigated. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis of these fractions resulted in the identification of 33 compounds of the essential oil. The main components of these fractions were alpha-pinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, verbenone, and borneol, constituting ca. 80% of the total oil. The antimicrobial activity was investigated by the disc diffusion and broth dilution methods against six microbial species, including gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis), gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), a yeast (Candida albicans), and a fungus (Aspergillus niger). All of the essential oil-rich fractions obtained showed antimicrobial activity against all of the microorganisms tested, with inhibition zones and minimal bactericidal and fungicidal concentration values in the range of 17 to 33 mm and 2.25 to 0.25 mg/ml, respectively. The most active fraction was the one obtained in experiment 4 (4% ethanol as modifier; extraction pressure, 25 MPa; extraction temperature, 60 degrees C). S. aureus was found to be the most sensitive bacteria to the rosemary extracts, whereas the least susceptible was A. niger. alpha-Pinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, verbenone, and borneol standards also showed antimicrobial activity against all the microorganisms tested, borneol being the most effective followed by camphor and verbenone. In that way, it was confirmed that essential oil from experiment 4, with the best antimicrobial activity, presented the highest quantity of camphor, borneol, and verbenone.


   Recovery of phenolic antioxidants from wine industry by-products.:Bioresour Technol. 2004; 92(2):201-8 (ISSN: 0960-8524).Louli V; Ragoussis N; Magoulas K.Laboratory of Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Str., Zografou Campus, 157 80 Athens, Greece. svlouli@chemeng.ntau.gr

 The recovery process of the phenolic compounds contained in the wine industry by-products and their antioxidant activity were examined in this work. To this purpose, a combined process of liquid and supercritical solvent extraction was employed. At first the effect of various process parameters of the liquid solvent extraction--the type of solvent and the pretreatment of the raw material (composition (skins, seeds, stems) and crushing)--on the antioxidant activity of the extract was examined. It was shown that an extract of a higher antioxidant activity was obtained by using ethyl acetate as solvent and raw material free of stems. These extracts were further treated with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO(2)) at various extraction pressures, which resulted in their significant enrichment in phenolic compounds and the improvement of their antioxidant and organoleptic properties, especially at pressures higher than 100 bar. The antioxidant activity of the products was determined by using the Rancimat method, as well as a simple and not time-consuming free radical method. It was proved that both the ethyl acetate extracts and those treated with SC CO(2) had antioxidant activity comparable to that of antioxidants commonly used in industry, that is butylhydroxytoluene (BHT), a synthetic antioxidant, and Rosemary extract, a widely known natural one.

   Phenolic diterpenes, flavones, and rosmarinic acid distribution during the development of leaves, flowers, stems, and roots of Rosmarinus officinalis. Antioxidant activity.:J Agric Food Chem. 2003; 51(15):4247-53 (ISSN: 0021-8561).del Ba??o MJ; Lorente J; Castillo J; Benavente-Garc??a O; del R??o JA; Ortu??o A; Quirin KW; Gerard D.Research and Development Department of Nutrafur-Furfural Espa??ol S.A., Camino Viejo de Pliego s/n, 80320 Alcantarilla, Murcia, Spain.

 The distribution of six compounds with three different polyphenol skeletons have been studied in Rosmarinus officinalis: phenolic diterpenes (carnosic acid, carnosol, and 12-O-methylcarnosic acid), caffeoyl derivatives (rosmarinic acid), and flavones (isoscutellarein 7-O-glucoside and genkwanin), each showing a characteristic behavior and distribution during the vegetative cycle. Only in leaves were all six compounds present, and the highest accumulation rate was related with the young stages of development. Rosmarinic acid showed the highest concentrations of all the polyphenols in all organs. The distribution of this acid in leaves, flowers, and stems suggests that in the first stages of flower growth, levels were due to in situ biosynthesis, and in the last stages, the contribution of transport phenomena was increased. The antioxidant activity of six extracts with different polyphenolic composition was evaluated in aqueous and lipid systems. The results clearly suggest that rosemary extracts are excellent antioxidants in both aqueous and lipid systems.

   Antimicrobial and chemopreventive properties of herbs and spices.:Curr Med Chem. 2004; 11(11):1451-60 (ISSN: 0929-8673).Lai PK; Roy J.Department of Bioscience, Salem International University, Salem, West Virginia 26426, USA. roy@salemiu.edu

 Herbs and spices have been used for generations by humans as food and to treat ailments. Scientific evidence is accumulating that many of these herbs and spices do have medicinal properties that alleviate symptoms or prevent disease. A growing body of research has demonstrated that the commonly used herbs and spices such as garlic, black cumin, cloves, cinnamon, thyme, allspices, bay leaves, mustard, and rosemary, possess antimicrobial properties that, in some cases, can be used therapeutically. Other spices, such as saffron, a food colorant; turmeric, a yellow colored spice; tea, either green or black, and flaxseed do contain potent phytochemicals, including carotenoids, curcumins, catechins, lignan respectively, which provide significant protection against cancer. This review discusses recent data on the antimicrobial and chemopreventive activities of some herbs and spices and their ingredients.

   Antimicrobial and antiplasmid activities of essential oils.:Fitoterapia. 2006; 77(4):279-85 (ISSN: 0367-326X).Schelz Z; Molnar J; Hohmann J.Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged H-6720, Szeged, D??m t??r 10, Hungary. schelzzs@yahoo.co.uk

 The antimicrobial and antiplasmid activities of essential oils (orange oil, eucalyptus oil, fennel oil, geranium oil, juniper oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, purified turpentine oil, thyme oil, Australian tea tree oil) and of menthol, the main component of peppermint oil, were investigated. The antimicrobial activities were determined on the Gram (+) Staphylococcus epidermidis and the Gram (-) Escherichia coli F'lac K12 LE140, and on two yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae 0425 delta/1 and 0425 52C strains. The antiplasmid activities were investigated on E. coli F'lac bacterial strain. Each of the oils exhibited antimicrobial activity and three of them antiplasmid action. The interaction of peppermint oil and menthol with the antibiotics was studied on the same bacterial strain with the checkerboard method. Peppermint oil and menthol displayed additive synergy with oxytetracycline. A new mechanism of plasmid curing was established for one of the oil components.

   Response of abietane diterpenes to stress in Rosmarinus officinalis L.: new insights into the function of diterpenes in plants.:Free Radic Res. 1999; 31 Suppl:S107-12 (ISSN: 1071-5762).Munn??-Bosch S; Schwarz K; Alegre L.Departament de Biologia Vegetal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.

 Abietane diterpenes were measured in field-grown rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) plants throughout the year. Carnosic acid and carnosol, which were present in high amounts (5 and 1 mg/gDW respectively) in rosemary leaves, decreased by ca. 50% during the Mediterranean summer in response to low precipitation, high radiation and high temperature. In contrast, the highly oxidised diterpenes rosmanol, isorosmanol and dimethyl isorosmanol, which are formed from carnosic acid by enzymatic dehydrogenation and the action of activated oxygen, increased in response to such environmental constraints. Collectively, these data support the contention that abietane diterpenes from R. officinalis function as antioxidants that protect biological membranes from oxidative stress. This is especially important during the Mediterranean summer when there is low precipitation, high light and high temperature.


   Rosemary components inhibit benzo[a]pyrene-induced genotoxicity in human bronchial cells.:Carcinogenesis. 1995; 16(9):2057-62 (ISSN: 0143-3334).Offord EA; Mac?? K; Ruffieux C; Malno?? A; Pfeifer AM.Nestl?? Research Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland.

 The commonly used spice and flavouring agent, rosemary, derived from the leaves of the plant Rosmarinus officinalis L., displays antioxidant properties in foods and in biological systems. Moreover, in animal models rosemary components were found to inhibit the initiation and tumour promotion phases of carcinogenesis. In this work, we studied the mechanisms by which rosemary components block initiation of carcinogenesis by the procarcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Whole rosemary extract (6 micrograms/ml) or an equivalent concentration of its most potent antioxidant constituents, carnosol or carnosic acid, inhibited DNA adduct formation by 80% after 6 h co-incubation with 1.5 muM B[a]P. Under similar conditions, cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 mRNA expression was 50% lower in the presence of rosemary components, and CYP1A1 activity was inhibited 70-90%. The observed reduction of DNA adduct formation by rosemary components may mostly result from the inhibition of the activation of benzo[a]pyrene to its ultimate metabolites. Carnosol also affected expression of the phase II enzyme glutathione-S-transferase which is known to detoxify the proximate carcinogenic metabolite of B[a]P. Treatment of BEAS-2B cells with carnosol (1 microgram/ml) for 24 h resulted in a 3- to 4-fold induction of GST pi mRNA. Moreover, expression of a second important phase II enzyme, NAD(P)H: quinone reductase, was induced by carnosol in parallel with GST pi. Therefore, rosemary components have the potential to decrease activation and increase detoxification of an important human carcinogen, identifying them as promising candidates for chemopreventive programs.

   Antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of active rosemary constituents: carnosol and carnosic acid.:Xenobiotica. 1992; 22(2):257-68 (ISSN: 0049-8254).Aruoma OI; Halliwell B; Aeschbach R; L??ligers J.Biochemistry Department, University of London, King's College, UK.

 1. Carnosol and carnosic acid have been suggested to account for over 90% of the antioxidant properties of rosemary extract. 2. Purified carnosol and carnosic acid are powerful inhibitors of lipid peroxidation in microsomal and liposomal systems, more effective than propyl gallate. 3. Carnosol and carnosic acid are good scavengers of peroxyl radicals (CCl3O2.) generated by pulse radiolysis, with calculated rate constants of 1-3 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 and 2.7 x 10(7) M-1 s-1 respectively. 4. Carnosic acid reacted with HOCl in such a way as to protect the protein alpha 1-antiproteinase against inactivation. 5. Both carnosol and carnosic acid stimulated DNA damage in the bleomycin assay but they scavenged hydroxyl radicals in the deoxyribose assay. The calculated rate constants for reaction with .OH in the deoxyribose system for carnosol and carnosic acid were 8.7 x 10(10) M-1 s-1 and 5.9 x 10(10) M-1 s-1 respectively. 6. Carnosic acid appears to scavenge H2O2, but it could also act as a substrate for the peroxidase system. 7. Carnosic acid and carnosol reduce cytochrome c but with a rate constant significantly lower than that of O2(-.).

   Effects of three dietary phytochemicals from tea, rosemary and turmeric on inflammation-induced nitrite production.:Cancer Lett. 1995; 96(1):23-9 (ISSN: 0304-3835).Chan MM; Ho CT; Huang HI.Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Piscataway 08855-1059, USA.

 In chronic inflammation, cytokines induce the production of nitric oxide (NO.) that is converted to DNA damaging and carcinogenic peroxynitrite and nitrite. The compounds epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), carnosol, and curcumin are non-vitamin phytochemicals contained in commonly consumed dietary plants. They are known to be anti-inflammatory and cancer preventive. Therefore, we studied their effect on the generation of peroxynitrite radicals and nitrite. They inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-gamma (IFN gamma) induced nitrite production by mouse peritoneal cells by more than 50% at 2.5-10 microM. Cell viability assays verified that the inhibition was not due to general cellular toxicity.

   Flavonoids in Rosmarinus officinalis leaves.:Phytochemistry. 1994; 37(5):1463-6 (ISSN: 0031-9422)

 Three new flavonoid glucuronides, luteolin 3'-O-beta-D-glucuronide, luteolin 3'-O-(4"-O-acetyl)-beta-D-glucuronide, and luteolin 3'-O-(3"-O-acetyl)-beta-D-glucuronide, together with hesperidin, were isolated from 50% aqueous MeOH extract of the leaves of rosemary. The structures were established by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Their antioxidant activities were evaluated by a ferric thiocyanate method with hesperidin showing the greatest activity.


  Scientific References:

  1.Rosemary and Rosemary Extract,Rosmarinic Acid,Diterpenes.Carnosol.Carnosic Acid,Functions and applications of rosemary.
  2.Research update of rosemary and rosemary derivatives related.