ABSTRACT
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been detected in different neuropathologies affecting million people worldwide. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD), are chronic and progressive and cause a massive decline in the life quality of the patients. The treatment of these maladies is very expensive and does not eliminate the symptoms completely. Indeed, it was not found a cure for these diseases yet. There are genetic and sporadic (related with environment) factors associated with the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. In the case of sporadic origin, which affects the major part of the patients suffering from neurodegeneration, preventive actions using dietary components, among others, have attracted the attention of researchers due to the apparent success observed and the low cost it needs to be performed. Redox biology abnormalities and mitochondrial dysfunction figure among the main parameters altered in neurodegeneration. In this context, carnosic acid (CA), which may be obtained from Rosmarinus officinalis L. (known as rosemary or “alecrim”), has been seen as a potent agent in preventing mitochondrial impairment in brain cells in both in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Even though there is a long road to be travelled in research, CA may be viewed as a pharmacologically relevant chemical regarding prevention of neurodegeneration.
