title: Analgesic effects of rosemary essential oil and its interactions with codeine and paracetamol in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The use of herbal medicinal products in the management of pain has been increasing steadily in recent years, often in combination with conventional analgesics, which can induce significant interactions. In traditional medicine, rosemary was used as mild analgesic, for relieving renal colic pain and dysmenorrhea. The aim of our study was to examine analgesic effects of rosemary essential oil and its pharmacodynamic interactions with codeine and paracetamol in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The identification and quantification of chemical constituents of the essential oil isolated from air-dried aerial parts of rosemary were carried out by GC/FID and GC/MS. The hot plate test was performed on NMRI mice by placing them individually on hot plate and assessing their response to the thermal stimulus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this research, we identified 29 chemical compounds of the studied rosemary essential oil, and the main constituents were 1,8-cineole, camphor, and α-pinene. Administration of investigated essential oil increased significantly the latency time of animal response to heat-induced pain between 20th and 50th minute of the test, when compared to saline-treated group. Rosemary essential oil in the dose of 20 mg/kg was shown to be more efficient than in the dose of 10 mg/kg, in combinations with both codeine and paracetamol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support the use of rosemary in the management of pain and indicate a therapeutic potential of rosemary essential oil in combination with analgesic drugs. The mechanisms involved in analgesic effects of rosemary essential oil and the potential influence on cytochromes and drug metabolism should be more in-depth investigated.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia. nebojsa.pavlovic@gmail.com.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Raskovic
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Milanovic
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Pavlovic
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Milijasevic
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ubavic
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mikov
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003061:Codeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D027542:Rosmarinus / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D000082:Acetaminophen; C053775:rosemary oil; D003061:Codeine