Rosmarinic acid CAS NO.20283-92-5

Rosmarinicacid is an ester of caffeic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyllactic acid. It is commonly found in species of the Boraginaceae Rosemarinus officin…

Rosmarinicacid is an ester of caffeic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyllactic acid. It is commonly found in species of the Boraginaceae Rosemarinus officinalis. However, it is also found in species of other higher plant families and in some fern and hornwort species. Rosmarinicacid has a number of interesting biological activities, e.g. antiviral, antibacterial, antiinflammatory and antioxidant. The presence of rosmarinicacid in medicinal plants, herbs and spices has beneficial and health promoting effects. In plants, rosmarinicacid is supposed to act as a preformed constitutively accumulated defence compound. The biosynthesis of rosmarinicacid starts with the amino acidsL-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine. All eight enzymes involved in the biosynthesis are known and characterised and cDNAs of several of the involved genes have been isolated. Plant cell cultures, e.g. from Coleus blumei or Salvia officinalis, accumulate rosmarinicacid in amounts much higher than in the plant itself (up to 36% of the cell dry weight). For this reason a biotechnological production of rosmarinicacid with plant cell cultures has been proposed.