Inflammation rosemary

Several phenolic diterpenoids with antioxidant activities were isolated from rosemary leaves. These include camosol, camosic acid, rosmanol, isorosmanol, and epirosmanol. Camosol showed potent antioxidative activity as revealed by scavenging a,a-diphenyl-(3-picrylhydrazyl free radicals and protection of oxidative DNA damage. In chronic inflammation, cytokines induce the production of nitric oxide, which is converted to DNA-damaging and carcinogenic peroxynitrite. Peroxynitrite is a cytotoxicant with... 

When the rosemary extract was administered (i.g.) at lOOmg/kg/day for 5 consecutive days, the number and area of diethylnitrosamine-induced GST placental-form-positive (GST-P) hepatocellular foci were reduced in male F344 rats. A methanol extract of the leaves of rosemary was evaluated for its effects on tumor initiation and promotion in mouse skin carcinogenesis. Topical apphcation of the rosemary extract to mouse skin attenuated the covalent binding of BaP to epidermal DNA and inhibited tumor initiation by BaP and DMBA. Application of rosemary to mouse skin also inhibited TPA-induced ODC activity, inflammation, hyperplasia, and tumor promotion. Likewise, topical application of camosol or ursolic acid isolated from rosemary inhibited TPA-induced ear inflanunation, ODC activity, and tumor promotion. ... 

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) contains flavonoids, phenols, volatile oil and terpenoids. Topical application of rosemary extract, carnosol or ursolic acid to mouse skin inhibited the covalent binding of benzo[a]pyrene to epidermal DNA (Huang et al. 1994), tumour initiation by 7,12-dimethylbenz [ajanthracene (Singletary and Nelshoppen 1991), 12-0-tetradecano)dphorbol-13-acetate-induc-ed tumour promotion, ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) activity and inflammation. Carnosol showed potent antioxidative activity in a,a-diphe-nyl-P-picrylhydrazyl free radicals scavenge and DNA protection from Fenton reaction (Lo et al. 2002). 

Like many other antioxidants, rosemary and its polyphenols possess not only antioxidative activities, but also antitumorigenic activities. Huang et al. (5) investigated the inhibitory effects of rosemary extract, carnosol and ursolic acid on tumor formation in mouse skin. They found that topical application of rosemary inhibits B(a)P- and DMBA-induced initiation of tumor and TPA-induced tumor promotion in DMBA-initiated mice. Carnosol and ursolic acid were found to be strong inhibitors of TPA-induced inflammation, ornithine decarboxylase activity and tumor promotion in mouse skin (5). It was suggested that carnosol acted like other nonsteroidal phenolic anti-inflammatory agents, such as curcumin, which inhibited the metabolism of arachidonic acid. 

---