Anticancer Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L.: Mechanisms of Action and Therapeutic Potentials

Abstract

Alternative treatments for neoplastic diseases with new drugs are necessary because the clinical effectiveness of chemotherapy is often reduced by collateral effects. Several natural substances of plant origin have been demonstrated to be successful in the prevention and treatment of numerous tumors. Rosmarinus officinalis L. is a herb that is cultivated in diverse areas of the world. There is increasing attention being directed towards the pharmaceutical capacities of rosemary, utilized for its anti-inflammatory, anti-infective or anticancer action. The antitumor effect of rosemary has been related to diverse mechanisms, such as the antioxidant effect, antiangiogenic properties, epigenetic actions, regulation of the immune response and anti-inflammatory response, modification of specific metabolic pathways, and increased expression of onco-suppressor genes. In this review, we aim to report the results of preclinical studies dealing with the anticancer effects of rosemary, the molecular mechanisms related to these actions, and the interactions between rosemary and anticancer drugs. The prospect of utilizing rosemary as an agent in the treatment of different neoplastic diseases is discussed. However, although the use of rosemary in the therapy of neoplasms constitutes a fascinating field of study, large and controlled studies must be conducted to definitively clarify the real impact of this substance in clinical practice.

Carnosic Acid Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Akt/mTOR Signaling in Human Gastric Cancer Cell Lines

“…The anticancer activity of rosemary has been investigated in several types of cancer [ 16 ]. Carnosic acid, a major derivative of rosemary, has been linked with various biological activities, including antioxidant effects, epigenetic modification, anti-inflammatory activity, and regulation of immune systems [ 17 ].…”

Carnosic Acid and Carnosol Activate AMPK, Suppress Expressions of Gluconeogenic and Lipogenic Genes, and Inhibit Proliferation of HepG2 Cells

“…The anticancer activities of rosemary extracts have been intensively studied, as summarized in a recent review [ 25 ]. For example, several reports have shown that CA induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells [ 26 , 27 ], but its anticancer activity through AMPK activation has yet to be fully clarified, though CL does inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer PC3 cells at least partly via AMPK activation [ 28 ].…”

Carnosol induces the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells via activating BMP-signaling pathway

“…Carnosol exerts long term antioxidant effect by activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway and HO-1 pathways [29]. Furthermore, many signaling molecules are implicated in the anticancer properties of carnosol including molecules associated with cell cycles including PI3K/Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and androgen and estrogen receptors [25,30,31] .…”