radioprotective effect of rosmarinus officinalis l (rosemary) essential oil on apoptosis, necrosis and mitotic death of human peripheral lymphocytes (pbmcs)

Background: rosemary plant, with phenolic compounds, is known as an antioxidant herb and able to scavenge free radical agents in the biological environment; therefore, it is expected that the rosemary essential oil (r-eo) shows the radioprotective effect to protect individuals who are physically in contact with ionizing radiation. objective: this study aimed to assess the radioprotective effect of r-eo on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmcs). material and methods: in this experimental study, the toxicity of the rosemary essential oil on pbmcs was assessed by the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (mtt) assay. the cells were irradiated at 0. 25 and 200 cgy using a 6 mv x-ray linear accelerator. the survival, apoptosis, necrosis, and survival enhancement factors of cells were analyzed by mtt and flow cytometry analyses with a non-toxic concentration of the rosemary essential oil (ic10). results: irradiation of cells in the presence of r-eo caused a significant increase in cell survival compared with the control in both 25 and 200 cgy radiation doses. also, the percentages of apoptosis and necrosis of cells showed a significant decrease compared with the control. conclusion: rosemary essential oil as a natural and non-toxic compound could show favorable radioprotective effects in such a way that significantly increases the survival rate and decreases the percentage of apoptosis and necrosis of pbmcs.