EVALUATION OF ROSEMARY OIL FOR ITS NOOTROPIC ACTIVITY AND FORMULATION OF IT INTO A TRANSDERMAL PATCH

The plant Rosemary grows in different regions of India. The Fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine as an herb. They have a bitter and astringent taste. Rosemary oil has been used traditionally for arthritis, rheumatism, neuralgia, exhaustion, gout and has also been reported to possess memory enhancing activity. The scientific assessment of Rosemary oil for its nootropic activity has not been carried out and our objective was to evaluate it for the same. The exteroceptive models of Elevated plus Maze, Morris Water Maze, Passive Avoidance Step down models were used to evaluate nootropic activity. The interoceptive model of inducing amnesia was carried out using scopolamine. Brain acetylcholinestrase estimation was carried out to show cholinergic transmission involvement for confirming nootropic activity. Rosemary oil at a dose of 0.5ml/kg was administered to male albino mice to study the nootropic activity. The oil was found to improve learning abilities and memory capacities in mice. It also elevated Acetylcholine (ACh) levels in the brain and, ultimately, improved the memory of mice. It was successfully formulated into a transdermal patch and evaluated as well.