Chemical composition of the essential oil and botanical study of the flowers ofMentha suaveolens

Abstract

Context: Herbal medicines play a paramount role in the treatment of wide range of diseases, so there is a growing need for their quality control and standardization. Traditionally, histological and morphological inspections have been the usual methods to authenticate herbs intended for medicinal applications. Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (Lamiaceae) is native to Africa Temperate Asia and Europe and it's cultivated in Egypt. Objective: The macro-and micromorphology of the flowers of M. suaveolens Ehrh. cultivated in Egypt were studied to find the diagnostic characters of this species. In addition, the chemical composition of the essential oil of the flowers was also studied to define the chemotype of the plant. Materials and methods: Photographs of macro-and micromorphology were taken using Casio and Leica DFC500 digital cameras, respectively. In addition, the essential oil was prepared by hydrodistillation followed by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analysis for identification of its components. Results: The macro-and micromorphological characteristics of M. suaveolens were determined. The yield of the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from M. suaveolens flowers was 1.7% calculated on dry weight basis. GC/MS analysis of the oil resulted in identification of 29 components, which amounted to 99.77% of the total oil composition. The major component was carvone (50.59%) followed by limonene (31.25%). Discussion and conclusion: The results obtained herein revealed for the macro, micromorphological and chemical composition characteristics of the flowers. The results of GC/MS analysis of the essential oil supported that M. suaveolens cultivated in Egypt could be categorized as carvone-rich chemotype since this compound pertained its high relative percentile.

Recent advances in genusMentha: Phytochemistry, antimicrobial effects, and food applications

“…Antibacterial, antifungal, antihypertensive, antioxidant, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory, monoamine oxidase inhibitory, candidacidal, virucidal, insecticidal, acute anti-inflammatory, analgesic, cytotoxic, antiemetic, antispasmodic, analgesic, hepatoprotective, and antimicrobial (Božović et al, 2015;Civitelli et al, 2014;El-Kashoury et al, 2014;Kasrati et al, 2015;Moldovan et al, 2014;Nunes et al, 2016;Oumzil et al, 2002;Park et al, 2016;Sutour et al, 2008) ( intestinal infection, indigestion, sinusitis, ophthalmic problems, otalgia, menstrual colic, headache, migraine, and stroke (Amaral et al, 2015). The plant has been considered a potential alternative for use as a flavoring agent in foods and beverages (da Cruz Almeida et al, 2018).…”

Plants of Genus Mentha: From Farm to Food Factory

“…Some Mentha species present numerous chemotypes, and the distinct chemical patterns are a consequence of their specific metabolic pathways, e.g., linalool, menthol or (−)-carvone pathway [ 84 ], and of their intraspecific chemical differences, e.g., chemotypes [ 85 ]. So far, the highest number of chemical constituents ( n = 82) was reported to M. longifolia collected in Tajikistan [ 86 ].…”

Mentha suaveolensEhrh. Chemotypes in Eastern Iberian Peninsula: Essential Oil Variation and Relation with Ecological Factors

“…[3][13] [14] Nevertheless, the presence of other compounds in leaves and inflorescences, such as limonene and carvone, has been reported as characteristics of the chemotypes in Northern Africa. [11] [12] M. suaveolens subsp. suaveolens, the taxon with major dispersion area (S and C. Europe, SW Asia), shows a high presence of oxygenated compounds in C3 as piperitone, piperitenone and their epoxides as well as menthol and pulegone.…”

“…As for essential oil (EO) chemical composition, differences among the above mentioned subspecies are based on the presence and different concentration levels of major compounds such as piperitenone oxide, piperitone oxide, pulegone and menthol derivatives . The piperitenone oxide is the most common and representative compound as it is sometimes reported as the only main compound .…”

“…The piperitenone oxide is the most common and representative compound as it is sometimes reported as the only main compound . Nevertheless, the presence of other compounds in leaves and inflorescences, such as limonene and carvone, has been reported as characteristics of the chemotypes in Northern Africa …”