CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM Mentha pulegium L. AND Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. GROWING IN NORTH-EAST OF ALGERIA

Abstract

Mentha pulegium L. and M. suaveolens Ehrh. are spontaneous plants growing in the wetlands of the Souarekh region (north-eastern Algeria). They are very well known and used by the natives of this region for different virtues. Moreover, these subspecies have been chosen for their great morphological variations. Hence, in this study, we aim at determining the chemical composition of the essential oils of both plants and evaluating their antibacterial activities. The aerial parts of the plants were hydrodistilled using a Clevenger type apparatus and the essential oils were analyzed and identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Antibacterial screening of essential oils was carried out on the basis of the diameter of the inhibition zone using the disc diffusion method against two bacterial strains. The chemical analysis of the essential oils of both mints resulted in main compounds pulegone (61.24%), isomenthone (11.32%) and menthone (5.6%) for M. pulegium, and piperityone oxide (47.52%) for M. suaveolens. Accordingly, the study of the biological activity of essential oils manifested the antibacterial effect against the strains studied. The obtained results are therefore promising and thus pave the way for manufacturers to use the essential oils of the two plants in the pharmaceutical and food industries.