Parkinson Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease . It is
characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars
compacta. This progressive disease has no cure and the treatment currently available becomes
inefficient as the progression of the disease occurs, at the same time, it carries a considerably
extensive array of side effects. In this context, the interest in identifying alternative therapies for
PD from natural products that may present neuroprotective activity and fewer side effects
increases (MORAES, 2016). Rosmarinic Acid (RA), is an ester of caffeic acid and 3,4-
dihydroxyphenyl lactic obtained from many plant species, including L. officinales Salvia (sage)
and Rosmarinus officinales (rosemary). The neuroprotective effects of RA have been studied in
animal models of neurodegenerative disorders such as PD and Alzheimer's disease (AMOAH,
2016). The results described in the literature for RA in Parkinson's have demonstrated that this
compound has neuroprotective and neurorescue effects in vitro and in vivo models of the
disease (Du et al, 2010, WANG et al, 2012). However, the literature on the use of RA with the
animal model of parkinsonism induced by MPTP neurotoxin is still scarce. The present study
aims to investigate whether oral administration of RA is effective in preventing the observed
changes in PD and to provide solid evidence to justify future clinical trials with this compound.
Our data showed through the open field test that MPTP treatment induced a hyperlocomotion in the animals that was reversed with the intragastric treatment with rosmarinic acid. Interestingly, our result suggests that this compound generates an increase in the striatal content of dopamine. Altogether, these satisfactory findings point out that RA could have a neuroprotective activity and be a good candidate for prevention and treatment PD.