title: Antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oils of Mentha suaveolens.
abstract: The essential oils (EO) of Mentha suaveolens, a wild Labiatae, which grows in several regions in Morocco, were characterized and their antimicrobial activity assessed. The main aromatic constituents of this plant, as characterized by IR, NMR and MS studies, were pulegone, piperitenone oxide (PEO) and piperitone oxide (PO) occurring in different amounts depending on the subspecies. These constituents as well as a series of other aromatic products such as carvone, limonene and menthone, were tested for their antimicrobial activity against 19 bacteria including Gram-positive and Gram-negative and against three fungi, using solid phase and microtitration assays. Pulegone-rich essential oil inhibited efficiently all the micro-organisms tested with MICs ranging between 0.69 and 2.77 ppm. Among the components from Mentha suaveolens EO, pulegone was the most effective against the tested microorganisms, followed by PEO and PO. The structure-activity relationship is discussed on the basis of the activity of the other aromatic derivatives tested such as carvone, limonene, menthone and the profile of the essential oils of Mentha suaveolens was compared with other Mentha species.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biochimie-Immunologie, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oumzil
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghoulami
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rhajaoui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ilidrissi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fkih-Tetouani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faid
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benjouad
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000081005:Cyclohexane Monoterpenes; D035263:Flowering Tops; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D027541:Mentha; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000737:chemistry; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000081005:Cyclohexane Monoterpenes; D039821:Monoterpenes; D010938:Plant Oils; C039648:pulegone