Mentha Rhizomes as an Alternative Source of Natural Antioxidants

Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University in Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia

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Molecules 2020, 25(1), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25010200

Received: 3 December 2019 / Revised: 31 December 2019 / Accepted: 1 January 2020 / Published: 3 January 2020

(This article belongs to the Section Natural Products Chemistry)

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Abstract

Unlike its aerial parts, the underground parts of Mentha have so far been studied only marginally. By examining the polyphenolic fingerprint, the antioxidant efficacy and the mutual antioxidant behaviour of mixtures of mint rhizomes, our study presents a modest contribution to addressing this gap. Firstly, we examined the composition of the mint rhizomes: Mentha × piperita cv. ‘Perpeta’ (MPP), M. longifolia (ML), and M. × villosa cv. ‘Snežna’ (MVS). Our LC-MS-DAD analysis revealed the presence of ten compounds belonging to groups of phenolic acids and flavonoids, of which the rosmarinic acid (RA) and lithospermic were most strongly represented. Secondly, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of rhizome infusions by DPPH and ABTS and on NIH/3T3 cell lines by DCFH-DA. Thirdly, we determined, examined, and explained the mutual interactions of rhizome infusions mixtures. While most of the combinations acted additive, synergy was observed in ternary infusion mixtures. The synergic action was also detected in the combination of MPP rhizome infusion and RA in the DCFH-DA test. The combinations of mint rhizomes and rosmarinic acid displayed a high dose-reduction index. This leads to beneficial dose reduction at a given antioxidant effect level in mixtures, compared to the dose of the parts used alone. So far, the pharmaceutical and food industry has not used mint rhizomes in commercial products. Hence, our study draws attention to further applications of the Mentha rhizomes as a valuable alternative source of natural antioxidants. View Full-Text

Keywords: Mentha rhizomes; antioxidant activity; interaction study; rosmarinic acid; lithospermic acid

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Bittner Fialová, S.; Kurin, E.; Trajčíková, E.; Jánošová, L.; Šušaníková, I.; Tekeľová, D.; Nagy, M.; Mučaji, P. Mentha Rhizomes as an Alternative Source of Natural Antioxidants. Molecules 2020, 25, 200. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25010200

AMA Style

Bittner Fialová S, Kurin E, Trajčíková E, Jánošová L, Šušaníková I, Tekeľová D, Nagy M, Mučaji P. Mentha Rhizomes as an Alternative Source of Natural Antioxidants. Molecules. 2020; 25(1):200. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25010200

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bittner Fialová, Silvia, Elena Kurin, Eva Trajčíková, Lucia Jánošová, Ivana Šušaníková, Daniela Tekeľová, Milan Nagy, and Pavel Mučaji. 2020. "Mentha Rhizomes as an Alternative Source of Natural Antioxidants" Molecules 25, no. 1: 200. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25010200

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