Protective effects of Lavandula viridis L'Hér extracts and rosmarinic acid against H2O2-induced oxidative damage in A172 human astrocyte cell line

•Lavandula viridis and rosmarinic acid protect neuronal A172 cells against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity.•Lavandula viridis and rosmarinic acid reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation on neuronal A172 cells.•Lavandula viridis could be useful for preventing neurodegenerative disorders.

We investigated the neuroprotective effect of Lavandula viridis extracts (infusion, water:ethanol and methanol) and rosmarinic acid, the major compound present in the extracts, against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in A172 human astrocyte cell line regarding the neurotoxic effect, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT). We found that L. viridis extracts and rosmarinic acid protected A172 astrocytes against H2O2 and reduced intracellular ROS accumulation. Furthermore, the protection effect was not caused by modulation of CAT suggesting that other intracellular mechanisms are involved in the neuroprotective effect. Our results highlight that L. viridis extracts and rosmarinic acid have beneficial effects against oxidative damage associated with neurodegenerative diseases.