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PROPERTIES OF MENTHA PIPERITA: A BRIEF REVIEW

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 wjpmr, 2017,3(1), 309-313. SJIF Impact Factor: 3.535
Review Article
WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL
Barbalho et al. World Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research
ISSN 2455-3301
AND MEDICAL RESEARCH
www.wjpmr.com WJPMR

PROPERTIES OF MENTHA PIPERITA: A BRIEF REVIEW

Silvia Cristina Cerini Trevisan1, Aline Pereira Paes Menezes1, Sandra Maria Barbalho1*,2,
Élen Landgraf Guiguer1,2
1
Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Technology of Marília (FATEC), Av. Castro Alves, 62,
Marília 17506-000, SP, Brazil.
2
Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Marília, Av. Higino Muzzi Filho
1001, Marília 15525-902, SP, Brazil.

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Sandra Maria Barbalho

Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Technology of Marília (FATEC), Av. Castro Alves, 62, Marília 17506-000, SP,
Brazil.

Article Received on 03/12/2016 Article Revised on 24/12/2016 Article Accepted on 13/01/2017

ABSTRACT
Among several plants, Mentha piperita is one of the herbs most widely used worldwide, with a long history of safe
use in medicinal preparations. Its leaf is used as a remedy for common cold, inflammation of the mouth, pharynx,
liver, as well as disorders in the gastrointestinal tract such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, flatulence and
dyspepsia. This plant possess polyphenols that are highly effective antioxidants and are less toxic than the synthetic
ones. This property makes it of great interest to the Food Industry, since the phenolic compounds retard the
oxidative degradation of lipids improving the quality and nutritional value of food. The aim of this review is to
show that several studies have demonstrated the presence of many different chemical compounds in Mentha
piperita and their pharmacological effects. This plant has demonstrated the presence of a wide variety of bioactive
compounds that represent a rich resource in phytochemicals of great interest to treat several pathologies. Some of
the benefic biological effects show that this plant may play an important role as anti-oxidant, antinociceptive, anti-
inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, antiviral, anti-allergic and antitumorigenic, indicating its utility in
the prevention or treatment of several diseases. Furthermore, we may say that Mentha piperita is a promising plant
that may offer low-cost alternative strategy for the use in Medicine and in food industry.

KEYWORDS: Mentha piperita, phytochemicals, glycaemia, lipids, free radicals.

INTRODUCTION of great interest to the Food Industry, since the phenolic

compounds retard the oxidative degradation of lipids
Herbal medicinal compounds are used all over the world
improving the quality and nutritional value of food.[2-3]
as the most natural way to intake of phytochemicals. The
use of natural products that are rich in bioactive
It is also of great interest for Medicine due to its
substances is growing along with the demand for plants
medicinal activities as antinociceptive, anti-
containing wide range of antioxidant properties and
inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.
bioactive molecules capable of neutralizing free radicals
The presence of flavonoids such as eriocitrin, narirutin,
slowing the progress of many chronic diseases associated
hesperidin, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, isorhoifolin,
with oxidative stress.[1-4]
diosmin, rosmarinic acid, and 5, 7-dihydroxycromone-7-
O-rutinoside exert anti-allergic effects.[14-15] Figure 1
Among the diversity of plants, Mentha piperita
shown the main properties of this plant.
(Lamiaceae family) is one of the herbs most widely used
worldwide, with a long history of safe use in medicinal
preparations. Its leaf is used as a remedy for common
cold, inflammation of the mouth, pharynx, liver, as well
as disorders in the gastrointestinal tract such as nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, flatulence and dyspepsia. It
is also used as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-
inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic.[5-13] plant is known
for having several phytochemicals, including
polyphenols that are highly effective antioxidants and are
less toxic than the synthetic ones. This property makes it

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Barbalho et al. World Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research

Figure 1: Properties of M. piperita.

Due to the expansion in the research about the ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

potential use of plants with broad applications and Lack of antioxidants in organism, promotes the
benefits, the aim of this review is to show that several oxidative stress due to the presence of free radicals,
studies have demonstrated the presence of many which in turn causes a variety of pathological
different chemical compounds in Mentha piperita and conditions. Antioxidants, which are an integral part of
their pharmacological effects. biologically active substances, are of great interest.
They can reduce mutagenic influence, regulating the
METHODS oxidation process of free radicals. According to
literature, a number of biologically active substances,
This review was based on a literature survey papers
which are produced by plants and have antioxidant
which used experimental studies involving in vitro or
activity, are known. They include α-tocoferol (vitamin
with humans and / or animals. For this research we
E), tannins, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), β- carotene, a
used the Scielo databases, PMC, PubMed and
number of protein compounds with enzymatic activity,
LILACS. For search of articles the following
flavonoids, polysaccharides, terpenoids, polyphenol
descriptors were used: Mentha piperita, properties of
compounds and etc. Mentha pipertita have antioxidant
M. piperita, M. piperita applications.
properties due to presence of several bioactive
substances.[17]
COMPOSITION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL
The essential oil of Mentha piperita contains
The antioxidant properties of Mentha pipertita are
acetaldehyde, amyl alcohol, menthyl esters, limone,
important to prevent inflammation process and
phellandrene, pinene, pugelone, and dimethyl sulfide,
dyslipidemia as well as several chronic degenerative
alpha-pinene, sabinene, ocimene, gamma-terpinene,
diseases as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (Table
terpinolene, alpha- and beta-thujone, citronellol,
1).
menthol, menthone, menthofuran, menthyl acetate,
isomenthone and other compounds capable of
producing the above mentioned effects of this plant.[7,
13, 15]

COMPOSITION OF THE LEAVES

In the extract of the leaves of M. piperita are present
mainly flavonoids and phenolic acids and some of the
compounds are menthol, menthone caffeic acid,
acetaldehyde, amyl alcohol, menthyl esters, limonene,
pinene, cardial glycosides, phellandrene, cadinene,
pugelone, and dimethyl sulfide. The constituent
features include alpha-pinene, sabinene, terpinolene,
ocimene, diterpenes, gamma-terpinene, steroids,
fenchene, alpha- and beta-thujone, coumarin,
citronellol, carotenes, tocopherols, betaine, choline,
saponin, tannins, and other components.[7, 9, 15-16]

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 Barbalho et al. World Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research

Table 1: Metabolic effects of M. piperita.

Treatment Effect
Decrease the glycaemia,
M. piperita juice in cholesterol, LDL-c, VLDL-c
diabetic Wistar rats and triglycerides in the
offspring of diabetic rats.
supplementation with Reduction of blood levels of
M. piperita in Wistar cholesterol, triglycerides,
rats LDL-c and glucose.
M. piperita juice in Reduction of blood lipids and
rats exhibit antioxidant activity.
Menthol and menthone
Immunomodulatory and anti-
from leavein rats
inflammatory action in murine
infected by
model.
Schistosoma mansoni
Comment Reference
Barbalho et al[12];
Mentha juice may help prevention
Figueroa-Pérez et
of diabetes and its complications
al[9];
in diabetic rats offspring.
David et al[10]
M. piperita may prevent diabetes
Mesbahzadeh et al[18]
and its complications.
Mentha juice may help prevention Badal et al[15]; Sharafi
of cardiovascular diseases. et al[4]
Mentha piperita leaves exhibit an
immunomodulatory and
antiparasitic effect in the Zaia et al[19]
experimental murine model of
schistosomiasis.

ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS determine the output of ions (hydrogen, potassium and

The constituents of the essential oil of M. piperita have
different modes of action in bacteria and eukaryotic cells.
They exhibit strong bactericidal properties, and in
eukaryotic they modify apoptosis and differentiation,
interfere with the post translational modification of
proteins and induce or inhibit certain liver detoxifying
enzymes.[4]
Antibacterial activity of plants may be attributed to the
presence of phenolic compounds that behave as pro-
oxidants because they undergo high oxidation, so instead
of eliminating the reaction of free radical chain, they lead
to generation of superoxide and quinones. The most
easily oxidized phenolics such as quercetin and gallic
acid have pro-oxidant activity but tannins, due to the
high molecular weight have little pro-oxidant activity.[20]
According to Shehadi et al [21], the bioactivity found in
different compounds of plants are generally attributed to
the presence of secondary metabolites which produce
physiological actions. The extracts can be categorized
into several classes among which are terpenoids,
flavonoids and phenolics that are known to be active
against bacteria, viruses and protozoa.
The antimicrobial effects of the essential oil can be
attributed to their mechanisms of action within the cell
membrane. The implications of this mechanism involves
lysis and loss of membrane integrity due to changes that
calcium), causing damage in the essential cell survival
processes. Menthol and menthone present in the essential
oil components of M. piperita is responsible for the
antimicrobial activity.[5]
OTHER EFFECTS
According to Ferreira et al[8], menthol is one of the main
components of the essential oil of M. piperita that
produce anti-cancer activity inducing cell death, either
by necrosis or apoptosis (in Caco-2 cell line). The
cytotoxicity associated with essential oil has been
attributed to various effects such as the production of
reactive species, change in fluidity and membrane
permeability, tubulin polymerization, imbalance in ion
transport, and inhibition of protein function.
Rodriguez Fragoso et al[13] noted that M. piperita relaxes
the lower esophageal sphincter, which is useful as an
antispasmodic agent by taking double contrast barium
and in patients with dyspepsia. It acts by inhibiting the
spontaneous peristaltic activity, reducing the total
gastrointestinal transit and gastric emptying by lowering
basal tone in the intestinal tract, reducing low frequency
waves in the esophagus, and small intestine by slowing
the peristaltic movements and inhibiting responses
induced by potassium depolarization. Other biological
effects of M. piperita are found in table 2.

Table 2: Other effects of Mentha piperita in different models.

Part of the plant
Herbal preparation with MP
leaves in humans
MP extracts leaves in fish
Compounds Effects Reference
Decreased anion secretion via activation of two
epithelial chloride channels. These were the
- cAMP-dependent cystic fibrosis trans Allam et al[22]
membrane conductance regulator and calcium-
activated chlo-ride channels.
Dose-dependent increases in growth, immune
Potassium, calcium,
(in skin, mucus and blood serum) and
iron, manganese and
hematological parameters, as well as in Adel et al[23, 24]
magnesium. Vitamin A,
amylase activity and in the number of lactic
C and E.
acid bacteria.

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 Barbalho et al. World Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research

Essential oil of the leaves in Menthol (33.59%) and

stored minced beef meat
Essential oil in Musca
domestica and Anopheles
stephensi
Leaves in excision wound
model
Essential oil in the plant
and in chocolate
Essential oil in Clostridium
perfringens
Leaves calves and piglets
TBARS: Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances.
Decrease in TBARS values. Smaoui et al[25]
iso-menthone (33%)
Substantial larvicidal activity against housefly
Menthol and menthone Chauhan et al[26]
and Anopheles stephensi.
Increase the cellular
proliferation and collagen synthesis at the
decarboxyrosemarinic wound site (healing activity); decrease the
Rais and Ali [27]
acid galactoside levels of lipid peroxides and increase of the
antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase,
catalase and glutathione peroxidase
The antimicrobial
activity of peppermint against E. coli,
In plant: peppermint:
Streptococcus aureus
menthol (30.35 %),
and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was stronger
menthone (21.12 %),
than that of the
and others; in Chocolate Tsai[28]
chocolate mint. For the anti-oxidation test,
mint: menthol (28.19 %)
peppermint showed better properties, however,
and
for the scavenging NO radical activity and as
menthone (15.53 %).
anti-inflammatory, chocolate mint was superior
to peppermint.
Oxygenated compounds,
Oxygenated monoterpenes and
especially oxygenated
phenylpropanoids might be responsible for the Radaelli et al[29]
monoterpenes and
antimicrobial activity.
phenylpropanoids.
Therapeutic option for gastrointestinal and
- Ayrle et al[30]
respiratory diseases in calves and piglets.

CONCLUSION phytochemicals from Mentha piperita with multiple

Studies with Mentha piperita has demonstrated the
presence of a wide variety of bioactive compounds that
represent a rich resource in phytochemicals of great
interest to to treat several pathologies. Some of the
benefic biological effects show that this plant may play
an important role as anti-oxidant, antinociceptive, anti-
inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, antiviral,
anti-allergic and antitumorigenic, indicating its utility in
the prevention or treatment of several diseases.
Furthermore, we may say that Mentha piperita is a
promising plant that may offer low-cost alternative
strategy for the use in Medicine and in food industry.
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