Abstract
Traditionally, Agastache rugosa (Korean mint) has been widely used to treat various infectious diseases. The aims of this study were to: (i) determine the phenylpropanoid content of the plant using high-performance liquid chromatography; (ii) undertake total anthocyanin, flavonoid, and phenolic assays; (iii) and evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the methanol extracts from the stem, leaves, and flowers of Korean mint. The total anthocyanin, flavonoid, and phenolic content assays showed that the flowers had higher phenolic levels than the stem and leaves. The reducing power, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl superoxide radical scavenging abilities, and the hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activities were also evaluated so that the antioxidant activities of the extracts from the different plant parts could be evaluated. The flower extracts revealed higher antioxidant properties than the other parts. The antibacterial properties of the methanol extracts from A. rugosa were analyzed by the disc diffusion method, and the flower extracts had higher antibacterial activities against the six bacterial strains used in the study than the other parts. This study provides information on the synergistic antioxidant and antibacterial properties of phenolics derived from the different parts of Korean mint.
Highlights
Agastache rugosa, which is called Korean mint, belongs to the Lamiaceae family, and is a traditional medicinal and ornamental plant
The Folin-Ciocalteu assay revealed that the greatest accumulation of total phenolics occurred in flowers (24.53 ± 1.01 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight), followed by leaves (17.57 ± 0.91 mg GAE/g dw) and stems (7.65 ± 1.21 mg GAE/g dw)
Variations in the results obtained for the stems, leaves, and flowers of Korean mint or potential variations between the results reported by previous studies and those reported by this study are not surprising
Summary
Agastache rugosa, which is called Korean mint, belongs to the Lamiaceae family, and is a traditional medicinal and ornamental plant. It is mainly distributed in East Asia, and has been commercially cultivated and used as a spice or to prepare perfumes [1]. Previous studies have reported that A. rugosa has various pharmacological and physiological properties, including anti-cancer [7], antibacterial [8], anti-fungal [9], and antiviral activities [10]. Oh et al (2006) reported that ethyl acetate extracts of Korean mint have antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, and anti-cancer properties [12] These activities are attributable to the various bioactive compounds that are present in A. rugosa.
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