Mentha Extract Research Articles

The in vitro Study of the Synergistic Antibacterial Effect of Hydroalcoholic Mentha Extract with Alum on the Growth of Streptococcus mutans

: Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant global health challenge, necessitating the search for novel therapeutic approaches. Streptococcus mutans, a key etiological agent in dental caries, requires innovative strategies due to its biofilm-forming ability and resistance to conventional antibiotics. Natural plant-derived compounds have garnered attention as potential antimicrobial agents with a low risk of resistance development. In this study, we investigated the synergistic antibacterial effect of a hydroalcoholic Mentha extract combined with alum against Streptococcus mutans (PTCC 16836). The well diffusion assay demonstrated that alum exhibited a larger inhibition zone diameter (12.04 ± 2.02 mm) compared to the hydroalcoholic Mentha extract (10.33 ± 1.53 mm). However, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for the hydroalcoholic Mentha extract (8.20 ± 5.57 mg/mL) and alum (0.35 ± 0.20 mg/mL) were comparable. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for the hydroalcoholic Mentha extract was 10 mg/mL, while the MBC for alum was 0.625 ± 0.006 mg/mL. The combination of these substances demonstrated a synergistic effect, indicating enhanced antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans. The study's findings suggest potential applications in dentistry, offering a natural and effective adjunctive treatment for dental caries management. The underlying mechanisms of this synergistic effect warrant further exploration. To translate these promising findings into clinical applications, further in vivo investigations and rigorously designed clinical trials are necessary to establish the safety and efficacy of this combination therapy. The natural origin of these substances may provide an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective approach in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Innovative sono-synthesis of cerium dioxide nanomaterials using mentha extract with efficient activity for cancer therapy application

Nanostructured CeO2 was fabricated through a facile sonochemical route utilizing cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate as a metal source and mentha extract as a novel capping agent. To our knowledge, this experimental work is the first successful endeavor for fabricating nanostructured CeO2 employing mentha extract by an easy and eco-friendly route. The microstructure and various characteristics of the oxide nanostructure prepared utilizing mentha extract were investigated using various methods. This research examined the anticancer effects of green synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) on cancer cell lines (T98 and SHSY5Y) at several concentrations of 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mg/ml NPs by exposure time of 24/48 h. The obtained results presented a cytotoxicity of the prepared NPs against the cancerous cell lines. Considering the CeO2-NP's effects on cancer cells indicated significant toxicity against cancer cell lines, these nanoparticles could be applied in medicine and in developing new drug formulations for cancer cell lines. Additional investigations are desired to reveal other biological applications of synthesized NPs against normal and other cancerous cell lines.

Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant, and Antifungal Activities of Ethyl Acetate and Chloroformic Extracts from Three Mentha Species

Background Phytopathogenic fungi remain the main infectious agents in plants, causing severe damage to the environment and human health. Thus, to reduce the usage of synthetically derived fungicides and perform agricultural crop production, the search for new control strategies including plant extracts constitutes an eco-friendly and safe alternative. Objectives This study aimed to quantify the phytochemical constituents of the three plant ( Mentha pulegium L., Mentha spicata L., and Mentha longifolia L.) extracts and to screen their phytochemical composition including total phenolic (TPC), flavonoids (TFC) and condensed tannins contents (TCTC), and to evaluate their antioxidant activities. The efficacy of all mint extracts will be investigated against phytopathogenic fungal species. Materials and Methods The three plant extracts were screened to assess their total phenolic, flavonoids, and condensed tannin contents using spectrophotometric assays. The antioxidant activities include 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and β-carotene assays. The antifungal activities were investigated on phytopathogenic species including Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Trichoderma sp. Results Quantitative analyses of phytochemical constituents of Mentha genus extracts revealed that both ethyl acetate (EtAc) and chloroformic (Chl) extracts are a rich source of phenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins. Ethyl acetate extract of M. longifolia (EtAc L) displayed the highest content of phenols (69.9 ± 1.35 mg GAE/g DW) and flavonoids (53.26 ± 2.11 mg CE/g DW), while M. pulegium ethyl acetate extract (EtAc P) has the highest condensed tannins content (2.13 ± 0.4 mg CE/g DW). Moreover, the tested extracts exhibited potent antioxidant activities at low concentrations for EtAc L, followed by M. spicata (EtAc S), and EtAc P (IC50 = 35.76 ± 1.32 µg/mL for scavenging DPPH free radicals; EC50 527.96 ± 5.45 µg/mL for FRAP, and IC50 = 106.3 ± 3.75 µg/mL for β-carotene bleaching test). Finally, all tested extracts were able to inhibit the growth of several phytopathogenic micro-organisms on both agar and broth media. Conclusion The Mentha extracts derived from the three mint species (i.e., L, P, and S) could be used for their antifungal activities to provide sustainable crop pest management.

Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of oil-in-water nanoemulsion of Mentha pulegium essential oil and extract

Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of oil-in-water nanoemulsion of Mentha pulegium essential oil and extract

Formulation and Evaluation of a Herbal Facial Cream Containing Tulsi and Mentha Oil for Treatment of Conventional Acne Vulgaris Treatment

Herbal cream is a treatment that people use for treating different skin problems. Propionibacterium acne and Staphylococcus epidermis are two examples of the bacteria known to cause acne pus. In order to tackle this acne vulgaris etiologic factor, the current research focuses on creating and analyzing a herbal cream. The present recipe includes rose water, methylparaben, borax, bees wax, liquid paraffin, Tulsi extract, Mentha extract, Tridax Procumbens. To make the herbal cream, use the aqueous phase. We evaluated the pH, spread ability, stability, and in-vitro diffusion of the produced Cream. The presence of the active ingredient Tulsi was found to be matching the formulations color, foreign particles, etc. were examined. Following application, it was found that the Cream was simple to spread across a skin surface evenly and smoothly.

Role of Phenolic Acid Metabolism in Enhancing Bioactivity of Mentha Extract Fermented with Plant-Derived Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T

Plant-derived lactic acid bacteria are major fermentation organisms that can grow in medicinal herb extracts enriched with phytochemicals like glycosides, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins. Fermentation with strain-specific Lactobacilli harboring metabolic enzymes can increase the bioactivity and bioavailability of medicinal herbs. Fermentation of extracts of Artemisia princeps and Paeonia lactiflora has been previously found to increase their bioactivities. Therefore, this study explores the possibility of increasing the bioactivity of Mentha arvensis (Mentha) extract against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells by fermenting with plant-derived probiotic strains Lactobacillus (Lact.) plantarum SN13T and Pediococcus (Ped.) pentosaceus LP28. As a result, fermentation with SN13T significantly increased the bioactivity of Mentha extract as compared to unfermented or LP28-fermented extracts. This higher bioactivity was associated with the metabolism of rosmarinic acid (RA) and caffeic acid (CA), the major bioactive phenolic acids reported in Mentha, along with the production of the metabolite dihydrocaffeic acid (DHCA). DHCA was found to be a more potent LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) inhibitor than its precursor phenolic acids. The metabolism of RA to DHCA via CA could be mediated by the enzymes cinnamoyl ester hydrolase and hydroxycinnamate reductases, encoded by the ceh gene and the hcrRABC gene operon, respectively, which were identified in the complete genome sequence of Lact. plantarum SN13T but were absent in Ped. pentosaceus LP28. The genes hcrA, hcrB, and hcrC were significantly and time-dependently overexpressed in Lact. plantarum SN13T when grown in the Mentha extract, suggesting the role of phenolic acid metabolism in enhancing its bioactivity.

Optimization of a Green Microwave-Assisted Extraction Method to Obtain Multifunctional Extracts of Mentha sp.

A microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) procedure has been optimized to simultaneously provide multifunctional extracts of Mentha sp. leaves with improved antioxidant properties and, for the first time, with optimal antimicrobial activity. Among the solvents evaluated, water was selected as the extractant in order to develop a green procedure and also for its improved bioactive properties (higher TPC and Staphylococcus aureus inhibition halo). MAE operating conditions were optimized by means of a 3-level factorial experimental design (100 °C, 14.7 min, 1 g of dry leaves/12 mL of water and 1 extraction cycle), and further applied to the extraction of bioactives from 6 different Mentha species. A comparative LC-Q MS and LC-QToF MS analysis of these MAE extracts was carried out for the first time in a single study, allowing the characterization of up to 40 phenolics and the quantitation of the most abundant. Antioxidant, antimicrobial (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium) and antifungal (Candida albicans) activities of MAE extracts depended on the Mentha species considered. In conclusion, the new MAE method developed here is shown as a green and efficient approach to provide multifunctional Mentha sp. extracts with an added value as natural food preservatives.

DPPH Screening in Mentha and Guggul Plant Different Extract

Free radicals are extremely reactive atoms or molecules that have one or more unpaired electrons on their outer orbital and have the potential to harm biological cells. The human body naturally creates antioxidants to combat free radicals, but because oxidative stress and aging cause more free radicals to develop, an exogenous antioxidant is required. The Plantae family has a lot of potential as a source of exogenous antioxidants because it is the largest family in the plant world. The goal of this study was to ascertain the antioxidant properties of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of mentha and guggul leaves, respectively. The DPPH technique was used to measure antioxidant activity, and the findings were noted for further study.

DPPH Screening in Mentha and Guggul Plant Different Extract

Free radicals are extremely reactive atoms or molecules that have one or more unpaired electrons on their outer orbital and have the potential to harm biological cells. The human body naturally creates antioxidants to combat free radicals, but because oxidative stress and aging cause more free radicals to develop, an exogenous antioxidant is required. The Plantae family has a lot of potential as a source of exogenous antioxidants because it is the largest family in the plant world. The goal of this study was to ascertain the antioxidant properties of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of mentha and guggul leaves, respectively. The DPPH technique was used to measure antioxidant activity, and the findings were noted for further study.

Green synthesis of Ag/Fe3O4 nanoparticles using Mentha extract: Preparation, characterization and investigation of its anti-human lung cancer application

In this study, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were decorated on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles in an eco-friendly pathway applying Mentha extract as reducing/stabilizing agent. The morphological and physicochemical features of the prepared Ag/Fe3O4nanocomposite were determined using several advanced techniques. Hence, our protocol is green and advantageous in terms of- i) biochemical modified biocompatible nanocomposite; ii) nanomaterial providing high surface area and larger number reactive sites; iii) very simplistic synthetic procedure; vi) very low load of metal in the composite and v) high yield in short time. In the medicinal part, the anticancer properties of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite against lung cancer cell lines were determined. The free radical for the antioxidant effects was DPPH. The IC50 of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was 200 µg/ml in the antioxidant test. The IC50 of the Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite were 183, 176, 169, and 125 µg/mL against lung cancer (NCI-H661, NCI-H1975, NCI-H1573, and NCI-H1563) cell lines, respectively. In addition, the current study offer that Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite could be a new potential adjuvant chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent against cytotoxic cells.

Antioxidant activity of the aqueous and ethanol extract of mentha and guggul plant by DPPH method

Free radicals are atoms or molecules that have one or more unpaired electrons on their outer orbital, are highly reactive, and could damage cells inside the human body. The human body produces antioxidants to neutralize free radicals, but human aging and stress oxidative conditions would increase the formation of free radicals, therefore an exogenous antioxidant is needed. The Plantae family is the largest family in the plant kingdom therefore it has great potential as a source of exogenous antioxidants. The objectives of this research were to determine the antioxidant activities of Mentha and Guggul leaves Aqueous and ethanol extract respectively. Antioxidant activity was determined by the DPPH method and observed results for future research.

Gold nanoparticles immobilized over Kaolin modified-Mentha extract: Investigation of its antioxidant and anticancer effects against cervical adenocarcinoma cancer cells as a novel chemotherapy agent

The present study demonstrates the preparation of kaolin supported Au nanoparticles (Au NPs/Kaolin) mediated by Mentha extract as green reluctant and capping agent without any toxic reagent. The structure of the prepared nanocomposite were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) techniques. In the cellular and molecular part of the recent study, the treated cells with Au NPs/Kaolin nanocomposite were assessed by MTT assay for 48 h about the cytotoxicity and anti-human cervical carcinoma properties on normal (HUVEC) and cervical carcinoma cell lines i.e. DoTc2 4510, HT-3, LM-MEL-41, Ca-Ski, SiHa, and C-33-A. It shown that the Au NPs with spherical shape and 10–20 nm in size were dispersed homogeneously on the modified-kaolin surface. The significance of this study is the novel initiative to combine the gold nanoparticle with inexpensive kaolin clay and utilization of them as anticancer agent. The IC50 of Au NPs/Kaolin nanocomposite were 206, 174, 277, 367, 250, and 183 µg/mL against DoTc2 4510, HT-3, LM-MEL-41, Ca-Ski, SiHa, and C-33-A cell lines, respectively. The viability of malignant cervical cell lines reduced dose-dependently in the presence of Au NPs-Kaolin nanocomposite.

Foliar Spray of Biosynthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Alleviate Salinity Stress Effect on Vicia faba Plants

Previous studies recorded positive impact of ZnO NPs on plants stressed with salinity. The current work was performed to study the effect of two different concentrations of biosynthesized ZnO NPs (50 and 100 mg L−1) on faba bean plants under salinity stress. The zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized using Mentha extract, and their shape and size were characterized using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope while diffuse reflectance spectra were measured using UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The generated ZnO NPs were spherical with a particle size 9.4 nm and had a rod form with particle size 15.2 in length and 3.5 nm in width. The response of faba been plants to the foliar spray of ZnO NPs concentrations (0, 50, and 100 mg L−1) alone and in combination with salt stress at 150 mM NaCl was studied. Salinity induced reduction in faba bean root and shoot length and dry/fresh weights, while an enhancement was recorded in response to foliar treatment with ZnO NPs at 50 and 100 mg L−1 either in presence or absence of salinity stress. The highest amounts of chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, and total pigments were recorded in plants received 50 mg L−1 ZnO NPs compared to the alternative control. Secondary metabolites (phenols, flavonoids, and tannins) were accumulated in salinity-stressed plants and further accumulation in response to ZnO NPs treatment was noticed. Amino acids, proline, glycine betaine, and total soluble sugars, as well as enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant contents, increased almost onefold in salinity-stressed plants as compared to control plants while the 50 mg L−1 ZnO NPs treatment resulted in higher accumulation of the previously mentioned substances. In contrast, plants oxidative stress was reduced in response to ZnO NPs treatments. The nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, and iron contents of faba bean plants were recorded under salinity stress and in response to the two applied concentrations of ZnO NPs. Faba bean plants stressed with 150 MN NaCl showed growth decline that may be attributed to osmotic stress and low water availability imposed by salinity. The treatment of stressed plants with 50 mg L−1 ZnO NPs induced an enhancement in plant growth as well as an accumulation of antioxidants, osmolytes, and secondary metabolites that could help plants overcome the negative effects of salinity.

ESCV/PASCV Membership

The present study demonstrates the preparation of kaolin supported Au nanoparticles (Au NPs/Kaolin) mediated by Mentha extract as green reluctant and capping agent without any toxic reagent. The structure of the prepared nanocomposite were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) techniques. In the cellular and molecular part of the recent study, the treated cells with Au NPs/Kaolin nanocomposite were assessed by MTT assay for 48 h about the cytotoxicity and anti-human cervical carcinoma properties on normal (HUVEC) and cervical carcinoma cell lines i.e. DoTc2 4510, HT-3, LM-MEL-41, Ca-Ski, SiHa, and C-33-A. It shown that the Au NPs with spherical shape and 10–20 nm in size were dispersed homogeneously on the modified-kaolin surface. The significance of this study is the novel initiative to combine the gold nanoparticle with inexpensive kaolin clay and utilization of them as anticancer agent. The IC50 of Au NPs/Kaolin nanocomposite were 206, 174, 277, 367, 250, and 183 µg/mL against DoTc2 4510, HT-3, LM-MEL-41, Ca-Ski, SiHa, and C-33-A cell lines, respectively. The viability of malignant cervical cell lines reduced dose-dependently in the presence of Au NPs-Kaolin nanocomposite.

Screening Chemical Composition and Bioactive Properties of Mentha x piperita L. Essential Oil and Extract

In recent years, medicinal and aromatic herbs, which contain variety of antimicrobial compounds and have no risk to human health in terms of antibiotic resistance, are increasingly used as alternatives to antibiotics. In the study, chemical composition, total phenolic content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oil and extract of Mentha x piperita L. growing wild in Eskisehir were investigated. Carvone (55.8%), limonene (12.8%), 1.8-cineole (8.7%) and trans-dihydrocarvone (6.4%) were determined as the main constituents of the essential oil, while the major components of the extract were carvone (56.4%), 1.8-cineole (14.1%) and trans-dihydrocarvone (8.4%). The total phenolic contents of essential oil (2204.33 µg GAE/g) were significantly higher than of extract (744 µg GAE/g). The essential oil and the extract were inhibited 84.08% and 42.59% by the DPPH radical, 91.87% and 48.40% by the ABTS radical, respectively. The highest inhibition zone was observed against S. aureus (23 mm). However, minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values of the essential oil were ranged between 2.5% and 10% (v/v), while MIC values of the extract were determined as 10% and >10% (v/v). The present study demonstrated that M. piperita could be used in pharmaceutical and food applications as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial substance.

Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity between Medical Plant Extracts and Antibiotics against Bacterial Isolates from Tonsillitis

Objectives: Acute tonsillitis is an inflammatory process of tonsil tissue and is usually infectious. Acute tonsillitis starts suddenly and usually disappears within one to two weeks. This study aims to isolate bacteria from patients with infectious tonsillitis and determine the antibacterial activity of Mentha piperita L, Citrus aurantium, banana peel extract and antibiotics including penicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, meropenem, tobramycin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin against bacteria.
 Methods: Were Collected 60 clinical samples of sputum and throat swabs from patients with tonsillitis admitted to AL-Furat Alawsait Hospital in Najaf. The samples were cultured in blood, MacConkey agar, and incubated at 37°C for 24 hours, and then the Vitek2 system was used for diagnosis to detect G + ve and G-ve bacteria.
 Results: It was found that out of 60 sputum samples and throat swabs, 15 cases were gram positive bacteria, while 45 gram negative bacteria. As revealed by the in vitro agar well diffusion method, it was found that the aqueous extracts of these plants, especially Mentha piperita, have strong antibacterial activity against a variety of pathogens. The results show that Mentha is very effective at all concentrations used in this study (125, 250, 500, 1000) mg / ml in all bacteria isolated from tonsillitis. The zone of greatest inhibition of Mentha, Citrus anrantium and banana peel extract was 30, 28, 25 mm at concentrations of 1000 mg / ml respectively. Used eight selected antibiotics, including (penicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, meropenem, tobramycin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin). To shows the susceptibility of all bacteria isolates used in this study, the best antibiotics to sensitive for all bacteria (Meropenem and Levofloxacin ), while the resistance to oxacillin.
 Conclusion: The selected commonly used aqueous extracts have been tested for their antibacterial activity against multi drug-resistant bacteria, and it is believed that their extracts can be used for multi drug-resistant bacteria that can cause nosocomial and community-acquired infections.

Green synthesis of Ag nanoparticles in oil-in-water nano-emulsion and evaluation of their antibacterial and cytotoxic properties as well as molecular docking

Increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in various fields as mentioned recently like cosmetology, clinical nanotechnologies and medicine causes the growth of a nontoxic and green synthesis methodology. The present study provided a facile stable one-step synthesis of AgNPs in the presence of Artemisia herba-alba, Mentha, Rosmarinus and Ranunculus aqueous oil extract as reductant and stabilizer via oil-in-water nano-emulsion. Due to experimental results, in the presence of Artemisia herba-alba extract, AgNPs indicated smaller size, uniform shape and well dispersed NPs. Synthesized nanostructures characterized by using various techniques like XRD, UV–Vis, FT-IR, TEM, SEM, nano sizer and zeta potential measurements. The effect of some reaction parameters (the molar ratio of AgNO 3 , extract volume, pH and temperature) on the AgNPs investigated as well. Additionally, strong antibacterial effects of AgNPs found against four gram-negative and three gram-positive bacteria due to cell death according to increasing membrane permeability and bacterial wall integrity disruption. WST-1 exposed cytotoxicity potent index on the cancerous cell lines as established by the low IC50 value of 1 ppm. Binding energy of Ag metal with bacteria calculated by molecular docking and indicated that all bacteria have good interaction with silver NPs and confirmed antibacterial manner of Ag. Therefore, Produced AgNPs can be introduced as an effective antibacterial agent as well as a potent index of cytotoxicity effect on cancerous cell lines that leads to effective usage in nono-drug design and formulations in near future.

Effect of mentha on performance, haematological and biochemical parameters in laying hens

Effects of Mentha piperita (peppermint) extract and juice on performance and immune parameters were evaluated in laying hens. A total of 252 Babcock laying hens were allocated to seven treatments with four replications of nine hens. The control hens were fed a basal diet without supplementation. Other hens were given diets supplemented with mentha extract (ME) at 50 (50ME), 100 (100ME), and 200 (200ME) mg/kg of feed or with 50 mentha juice (50MJ), 100 (100MJ) and 200 (200MJ) mg/L that was provided in the drinking water. No significant differences were detected among treatments in bodyweight, feed intake, egg mass, egg production, eggshell breaking strength, Haugh unit, and haematological and serological parameters. The ratio of gram feed to gram egg mass (feed conversion) was significantly better in the birds that received 100ME and 200ME compared with the control hens. The yolk colour index was higher in mid trial analysis (28th day). Thus, although the ME supplementation had a positive effect on feed conversion ratio and egg yolk colour at dosage rates up to 200 mg/kg, further research is needed to establish the efficacy of this herbal product and to determine the most appropriate amount to include in diets for laying hens.

Impact of Different Crystal Sizes of Nano-Iron Oxide as Fertilizer on Wheat Plants Photosynthetic Pigments Content.

This study was carried out to investigate the impact of Fe2O3 NPs synthesized from mentha, onion and moringa plant extract at the concentrations of 20,40 and 60 and 80 ppm on wheat plant as fertilizer. Plant pigments chlorophyll a, b carotenoids as well as total pigments contents were investigated. Also, total phenolic components contents in wheat shoots were determined. The results showed that the foliar application of iron oxide nanoparticles at low concentrations (20,40 and 60 ppm) induced an increment in photosynthetic pigments and total phenolic compounds contents. beyond these concentrations an inhibitory effect was shown at 80 ppm concentration. Different sizes of nanoparticles showed different impacts on the studied criteria, small particle size induced more enhancement in plant pigments and phenols contents while larger sizes showed less impact.

Silver nanoparticles synthesised by using Iranian Mentha pulegium leaf extract as a non-cytotoxic antibacterial agent

ABSTRACT Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized using the aqueous extract ofMentha pulegium leaves and were characterized by Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence analysis. The bactericidal activity was assayed by disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The cytotoxicity was examined on normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by MTT assay. SEM and XRD analysis showed the spherical and face-centered cubic nano silver particles with an average size of 29 nm. EDX and XRF spectra exhibited obvious signals in the silver region. The AgNPs displayed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus followed by Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranged from 61.5 to 125 µg/mL. No significant cytotoxicity was observed against the PBMCs up to 250 μg/mL of the AgNPs and hence the synthesized AgNPs may be used to treat drug-resistant bacteria in biomedicine.