Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Mentha (longifolia L. and viridis) Essential Oils

Abstract

The study was aimed to investigate essential oil chemical composition (gas chromatography/flame ionization detection [GC-FID] and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry [GC-MS]) and antioxidant (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate [ABTS] assays) and antimicrobial (Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and yeast) activities of essential oils extracted from leaves of Mentha longifolia L. and Mentha viridis. GC-MS analysis revealed that M. longifolia was constituted by pulegone (54.41%) as a major component followed by isomenthone (12.02%), 1,8-cineole (7.41%), borneol (6.85%), and piperitenone oxide (3.19%). M. viridis was rich in carvone (50.47%), 1,8-cineole (9.14%), and limonene (4.87%). The antioxidant activity by ABTS assay showed IC(50) values of 476.3 +/- 11.7 and 195.1 +/- 4.2 mg/L for M. longifolia and M. viridis, respectively, the DPPH assays have resulted in a moderate IC(50) (>8000 mg/L and 3476.3 +/- 133 mg/L for M. longifolia and M. viridis, respectively). Antimicrobial activity showed that Listeria monocytogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria were more inhibited by the 2 essential oils tested. Escherichia coli was least susceptible. A strong activity was also observed on fungi and yeasts. Carvone, thymol, and piperitone oxide have not been detected in Tunisian M. longifolia. Camphor is reported for the 1st time for M. viridis. Antioxidant and antibacterial activities were correlated to chemical composition.

Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Essential Oils from Five Selected Herbs

“…Menthol and pulegone have previously shows antimicrobial and antioxidant activities as components of essential oils. 35,36) Hence, the L. anagallis essential oil also possesses the potential to be an effective antimicrobial and antioxidant agent. In the P. fragrans essential oil, the major components were (À)-spathulenol (13.91%), fenchone (7.37%), methyl eugenol ether (7.25%), and several monoterpenes, such as -pinene (3.09%) and limonene (3.78%).…”

<i>Mentha longifolia</i> (L.) ssp. <i>longifolia</i> Essential Oil: Source of Natural Antioxidant and Antimutagen as Food Additive

“…According to the β-carotene bleaching tests the IC50 values of the EO were found to be 11.7 ± 0.21 mg/mL (Table 1). In other studies, IC50 values of M. longifolia EO against DPPH free radical is determined as 10.700 μg/mL [12] and >8000 mg/L [13]. Similarly in a study, according to the β-carotene bleaching test the EO of M. longifolia ssp.…”

“…The EO of M. longifolia (L.) exhibited antimicrobial [12,13,14], antifungal [15], antiacetylcholinesterase [15,16], antidiarrheal [17] and antioxidant [12,13,15] properties. Therefore, the purpose of this work consists in determining the antioxidant, mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of M. longifolia ssp.…”

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Mentha spicata L. plant from Sulaimaniyah in Iraq

“…Menthe spicata's essential oil was used as an antimicrobial agent against Aspergillus flavus NRRL 391 and Candida albicans ATCC 1024. The result showed inhibition in mycilial growth with zone diameters > 40 mm [17]. According to another study on antifungal effect of menthe sp.…”