Chemical Composition and Anti-<i>Candida</i> Activity of <i>Mentha suaveolens</i> Ehrh. Essential Oils Obtained by Different Distillation Processes
Vanja Tadić,
Mijat Božović,
Filippo Sapienza,
Roberta Astolfi,
Milan Mladenović,
Maria Cristina Zaka,
Fabiana Del Bove,
Francesca Borzacchi,
Caterina Fraschetti,
Caterina Rossi,
Silvia Vertuani,
Anna Baldisserotto,
Stefano Manfredini,
Rino Ragno
Affiliations
Vanja Tadić
Institute of Medicinal Plants Research Dr. Josif Pančić, Tadeuša Koščuška 1, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Mijat Božović
Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics, University of Montenegro, Džordža Vašingtona bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
Filippo Sapienza
Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Roberta Astolfi
Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Milan Mladenović
Kragujevac Center for Computational Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Maria Cristina Zaka
Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Bachelor Course in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Fabiana Del Bove
Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Bachelor Course in Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Francesca Borzacchi
Garden Center “98.3 Piante Mediterranee”, 01016 Tarquinia, Italy
Caterina Fraschetti
Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Caterina Rossi
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Silvia Vertuani
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Anna Baldisserotto
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Stefano Manfredini
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Rino Ragno
Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
A comparative study on essential oils extracted from Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. from Italy is reported. Two extraction procedures were investigated: hydrodistillation and steam distillation, carried out as a continuous and fractionated procedure. Fresh and dried plant material from two harvests was used. The hydrodistillation method yielded a higher amount of essential oil. The dried plant was significantly richer in essential oil per kg of starting plant material. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of 112 samples showed that the essential oils belong to the piperitenone oxide-rich chemotype. In addition, piperitenone, p-cymen-8-ol, and limonene were among the most abundant compounds in the different samples. A higher amount of piperitenone oxide was obtained by hydrodistillation, while steam distillation gave a higher percentage of piperitenone and limonene. The essential oils were characterized for their anti-Candida albicans activity; higher potency was observed for the samples rich in piperitenone oxide, with MIC values ranging from 0.39 to 0.78 mg·mL−1 (0.039% and 0.078% p/v). The results of this work provide a deep insight into the methodology of essential oil extraction and the associated chemical variability of M. suaveolens Ehrh. Some of the essential oils are potent against C. albicans and could be considered for potential use in therapy.
