Abstract
New sources of polyphenols with anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties in arid environments are critical for the development of alternative medicines and natural remedies. This study explored the polyphenol profiles and biological activities of methanolic leaf extracts from natural Mentha × piperita and Mentha longifolia populations in northern Saudi Arabia. Chromatographic analyses identified several polyphenols in M. × piperita including phenolic acids: rosmarinic acid (1547.6 mg/100 g DW (dry weight)), cryptochlorogenic acid (91.7 mg/100 g DW), and chlorogenic acid (69.4 mg/100 g DW), as well as flavonoids: naringin (328.8 mg/100 g DW) and cynaroside (162.8 mg/100 g DW). The major polyphenols in M. longifolia were: rosmarinic acid (781.6 mg/100 g DW), cryptochlorogenic acid (191.1 mg/100 g DW), p-coumaric acid (113.0 mg/100 g DW), m-coumaric acid (112.2 mg/100 g DW), and chlorogenic acid (63.8 mg/100 g DW). M. × piperita and M. longifolia leaf extracts had high antioxidant activities due to the major polyphenols (cynaroside, rosmarinic and cryptochlorogenic acids). M. × piperita had higher activities against different cancer cells than M. longifolia. Naringin, cryptochlorogenic acid, and rosmarinic acid had the highest activities against cancer cells. The leaf extracts had antibacterial effects against most bacteria species (Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most sensitive), which was attributed to the polyphenols. Antifungal activities were similarly broad (Aspergillus flavus was most sensitive) and attributed to naringin, cryptochlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid. Populations of M. × piperita and M. longifolia in Northern Riyadh may be a valuable source of natural biologically active compounds.
Highlights
Polyphenols may be the most important secondary metabolite in the plant kingdom due to their pharmacological and medicinal properties
M. × piperita contained flavonoids, and other polyphenols were present in M. longifolia, including cryptochlorogenic, m-coumaric acid, and p-coumaric acid
The M. × piperita and M. longifolia leaf extracts displayed antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects against most of the cancer cell lines, which was attributed to the accumulation of necrotic cells in the early and late apoptotic periods
Summary
Polyphenols may be the most important secondary metabolite in the plant kingdom due to their pharmacological and medicinal properties. The medical applications of polyphenols include cancer control [1,2,3,4], bacterial and fungal infections [5,6], age elongation as antioxidants [7], and the treatment of diseases related to obesity [8], neurology [9], diabetes [10], and cardiovascular inflammation [11,12]. The biochemical effects of polyphenols as antioxidants is based on their ability to scavenge free radicals and control metal chelation reactions [1,14,15,16,17,18,19]. The anticancer properties of polyphenols are partially related to antioxidant mechanisms, including the detoxification of enzymes and the reduction of free radicals [1,14,15,16,17,18,19]. The antiproliferative and apoptotic activities of polyphenols on cancer cells may be the backbone of the anticancer effects of dozens of polyphenols, via their arrestment of the cell cycle and molecular regulation of specific gene expression [1,14,15,16,17,18]
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