title: Biochemical activities of Iranian Mentha piperita L. and Myrtus communis L. essential oils.
abstract: GC-MS analysis of essential oils of Iranian Mentha piperita and Myrtus communis extracted by hydrodistillation lead to identification of 26 and 32 compounds, respectively. The oils had good to excellent antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans with the oil of M. piperita being more active. The findings suggest feasibility of application of M. piperita oil in treatment of the infections caused by C. albicans and E. coli. D-values on exposure to M. piperita and Myrtus communis oils were (2.14 and 2.8min), (1.4 and 12.8min) and (4.3 and 8.6min) for E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans , respectively. The oils were screened for their possible antioxidant activities by two complementary test systems, namely DPPH free radical scavenging and beta-carotene/linoleic acid systems. M. piperirta oil exerted greater antioxidant activity than that of M. communis. Phytochemical and phytobiological characteristics of these oils may lead to extraction and production of active compounds in single or combined forms with useful applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Davod
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yadegarinia
authors.forename: Latif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gachkar
authors.forename: Mohammad Bagher
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Rezaei
authors.forename: Massoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taghizadeh
authors.forename: Shakiba Alipoor
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Astaneh
authors.forename: Iraj
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rasooli
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007492:Iran; D036142:Mentha piperita / Q000737:chemistry*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D031651:Myrtus / Q000737:chemistry*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D028321:Plant Preparations