Pharmacokinetic characterization of carnosol from rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus) in male C57BL/6 mice and inhibition profile in human cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus) is a rich source of dietary diterpenes with carnosol as one of the major polyphenols used to standardize rosemary extracts approved as a food preservative, however, at present there is not any information on the murine pharmacokinetic profile of carnosol or its potential for drug interactions. The present study utilizes cell-free, cell-based, and animal-based experiments to define the pharmacokinetic profile of the food based phytochemical carnosol. Mice were administered carnosol (100 mg/kg body weight) by oral gavage and plasma levels were analyzed by LC-MS/MS to establish a detailed pharmacokinetic profile.