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In vitro antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities of the ethanol extract of Mentha piperita L.

Food Science and Biotechnology volume 26, pages 1675–1683 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of the ethanol extract of Mentha piperita L. leaves (MPE). M. piperita L. leaves were extracted by reflux with ethanol. Total phenolic acid and total flavonoid content were determined. The antiviral activity of MPE against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the anti-inflammatory activity were evaluated in vitro. The levels of key pre-inflammatory mediators and cytokines including nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were determined. The antioxidant activities were also evaluated using a colorimetry method. MPE contained high levels of phenolic acid and flavonoid, showed antiviral activity against RSV with a high selectivity index, and significantly decreased the production of NO, TNF-α, IL-6, and PGE2 in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Meanwhile, MPE showed potential free-radical scavenging activities. These results indicate that Mentha piperita L. might be a good source of medicinal plants.

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Acknowledgements

The research is supported by the scientific research program of Jilin Provincial Education Bureau (No. [2015]382), Youth Funds of Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology College (2017116), Key Discipline Project for Traditional Chinese medicine specialty of Jilin Province, National Nature Science Foundation of China (81403264), Shanghai Science and Technology Development Funds (14YF1411500), and Shanghai University of TCM funds, and was partly supported by Shanghai Fengxian District Science and Technology Project (20151205 and 20141001) and Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission Project (201540027 and 20174Y0236).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology College, Changchun, 132101, Jilin, China

    YuXian Li

  2. Ministry of Education Bioreactor and Drug Development Research Center, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, Jilin, China

    YuXian Li

  3. Longhua Hospital of Shanghai University of TCM, 725 Wanping South Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200032, China

    YiBo Liu

  4. Shanghai Fengxian District Central Hospital, Shanghai, 201499, China

    AiQin Ma, Man Wang & ZhenLiang Sun

  5. University of Minnesota, 210 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul, Minneapolis, MN, 55108-6026, USA

    Yong Bao

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Li, Y., Liu, Y., Ma, A. et al. In vitro antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities of the ethanol extract of Mentha piperita L.. Food Sci Biotechnol 26, 1675–1683 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-017-0217-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-017-0217-9

Keywords

  • Mentha piperita L.
  • Antiviral
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antioxidant