Neurophysiological Study on Possible Protective Effect of Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) Leaves Extract in Male Albino Rats Treated with Acrylamide

Abstract: Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L) leaves extracts show a very high antioxidant activity and increasingly used as food additives, proposed as important human dietary factor.In this study, the neuroprotective effect of The Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L) leave extract was investigated against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in male albino rats. The daily dose (30mg/kg b.w.) i.p. injection of pure acrylamide (ACR) for four weeks caused a significant decrease in catecholamine: epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) content all tested areas ( cerebellum, brainstem, striatum, cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus) at most of the time intervals studied. This is may be due to axon and nerve terminal degeneration, which caused changes in transmitter synthesis, storage uptake, release and reduction in synaptic vesicle as a result the content of neurotransmitters is decreased. whereas, daily dose (100mg/kg b.w.) i.p. injection of rosemary extract for 30 days and subsequent withdrawal caused a significant decreased in catecholamine content all tested areas at most of the time intervals studied. This is may be, in part due to the presence of caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid which affected the uptake of monoamines and monoamines oxidase activity. At the same time the extract contain ursolic acid (UA) and carnosol which increase in nitric oxide (NO) levels so the content of catecholamine is decreased. The present study revealed that moderate improvement in catecholamine content alteration caused by acrylamide, this is may b