Rosemary essential oil microemulsion prevents DSS-induced intestinal injury in mice by modulating IL-17 signaling pathway

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L) is a medicinal and edible plant. Rosemary essential oil (REO) is the principal constituent of rosemary and possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In this study, we evaluated the cell viability and anti-inflammatory activity of REO through the MTT assay and LPS-induced NO production in mouse RAW264.7 cells, respectively. The optimal formulation for the preparation of REO- microemulsion (REO-ME) was determined employing reversed-phase emulsification in conjunction with pseudo-triphasic diagrams. Transcriptomics, combined with network pharmacology, was employed to identify key signaling pathways, and molecular docking analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between the active ingredients of REO-ME and the key targets. The results showed that REO-ME is an O/W type ME. In addition, further pharmacodynamic experiments showed that REO-ME inhibits the expression of inflammatory factors such as IL-6, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha by regulating the key targets in the IL-17 signaling pathway, thereby to alleviating UC.