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Diabetic kidney disease is one of the most common microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus with consequences of diabetic nephropathy. Here we amined to evaluate the nephroprotective potential of methanolic Mentha longifolia (MML) against serotonin-induced hypoglycemia allied toxicity in the rat model of diabetes. Diabetes was induced in rats via alloxan administration and validated by blood glucose level measurement. After that, the animals were treated with serotonin and methanolic extract of Mentha longifolia. Surprisingly, serotonin treatment significantly reduced the glucose levels to hypoglycemic conditions, accompanied by impaired redox defense system, abnormal kidney histopathology, dyslipidemia, and altered level of liver toxicity markers. Interestingly these changes were rescued by the methanolic extract of M. longifolia. The present study suggests that impaired serotonin levels during diabetic conditions may accelerate hypoglycemic allied free radical-dependent abnormalities; however, medicinal plants like M. longifolia can reduce these deleterious effects by scavenging free radicals and their associated toxicity.

Mentha longifolia (L.) L. and M. spicata L., the medicinally important members of Lamiaceae, provide fragrant foliage which is used by locals for culinary and therapeutic purposes as well as by industries for producing pharmaceuticals, essences and food flavourings. To meet the rising demand of non-reproductive parts (leaves) of these species, breeders sought after populations/lines producing more herbage. As climatic properties strongly influence phenotypic traits of medicinal plants, it becomes imperative to analyse M. longifolia and M. spicata growing in different climatic zones for morphological descriptors. This comparison revealed that plants of sub-tropical zone have significantly larger shoots, bear greater number of large sized leaves and longer inflorescences and therefore carry greater commercial value. Since determining timing and duration of different biological events is equally imperative to identify lines which remain available for usage for longer duration, the two species from different zones have been compared for phenological events. These studies revealed marked differences in onset and duration of different phenological events such as sprouting, flower initiation, peak blooming, fruiting, senescence and overall life cycle. As such, present Mentha species from sub-tropical zones having longer life cycle (7.5 months) than those from temperate regions (7 months). To underpin the reasons responsible for morphological and phenological variations in Mentha, meiocytes of plants found in different geographical regions have been analysed for chromosome number and behaviour. While meiocytes of M. longifolia consistently contained 24 chromosomes which paired as 12 bivalents at diplotene/metaphase I and segregated as 12:12 at anaphase I in outnumbering cells, those of M. spicata had 48 chromosomes that associated as 24 bivalents and separated equally at anaphase I. These meiotic features along with high pollen viability indicates scarce influence of cytological aspects on morphological and phenological variability of present plants.

Cystic echinococcosis is a public health problem in developing countries that practice sheep breeding extensively. In the current study, the protoscolicidal activity of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) derived from Mentha longifolia L. leaf extracts was investigated. The resultant ZnO NPs were characterized by means of various analytical techniques, such as ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. The results showed that the ZnO NP had the highest scolicidal activity at 400 ppm concentration after 150 min of exposure time, showing 100% mortality rate. The treated protoscolices exhibited loss of viability with several morphological alterations. Hence, an easy and effective green synthesis of ZnO NPs, with efficient scolicidal potential, is reported in this study.

Existence of cytomixis and associated meiotic anomalies, their effect on pollen viability/size and factors influencing cytomixis have been described in many species but not in Mentha longifolia. Presently, meiotic analysis of four M. longifolia populations from varying altitudes of Jammu Province (Jammu and Kashmir, India) revealed cytomixis between 16.67 and 19.31% pollen mother cells (PMCs) in three populations (considered cytomictic) and in 3.43% cells in the fourth one (named control). For each population, the frequency of cytomictic cells valued nearly same irrespective of the type of anthers (fresh/fixed) used and season (peak blooming/offseason) of their collection indicating that cytomixis is not influenced by seasonal variations/fixative treatment. To determine whether/not cytomixis in present populations is associated with numerical or structural chromosomal variations, meiocytes were scrutinized for chromosome count and behaviour. While PMCs of control population contained diploid chromosomes (2n = 24) exhibiting regular behaviour, 4.73 to 11.27% cells of cytomictic populations were aneuploid (2n = 22, 25 and 26)/nearly haploid (2n = 14)/polyploid (2n = 42/44) or had multivalents. In later populations, the presence of 17–19% cytomictic and 7.52–11.27% cytologically deviant cells accounted for low pollen viability (33.19–37.27%), with some of viable pollens (16.92 to 20%) being larger/smaller than normal one. However, control population containing few (3.43%) cytomictic cells exhibited high pollen viability (61.78%). In M. longifolia, finding of connected cells in all the four populations for two consecutive years points towards natural occurrence of cytomixis and is not a fortuitous event. Nevertheless, variation in the frequency of cytomictic cells in different populations seems to have some connection with environmental conditions where they were growing.

Horsemint (Mentha longifolia L), is wild-growing species, widespread in Eurasia and Africa. The review focuses on its potential utilization as a preservative and flavoring in the food industry based on the polyphenolic and terpenoid composition. Several phenolic antioxidants were detected in horsemint, among which rosmarinic acid may have a key role. Nineteen other acids, and fifty-five flavonoids (six which are de novo) were also identified. The antiradical efficacy in horsemint extract has not yet been adequately justified. Similarly, systematic screening of the flavonoid composition of the species is lacking. Horsemint essential oils possesses an outstandingly wide variability in composition which may serve as basis of special flavoring or antimicrobial agents. The efficacy of horsemint volatiles have been demonstrated against more than twenty microbes. As current literature of horsemint lacks comparable results, the present review provides the broadest and therefore, a critical overview, on its most important secondary compounds and the factors influencing their accumulation.

The present investigation was aimed to phytosynthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by utilizing aqueous extract of Mentha longifolia branches to reduce mass Ag into Ag° and evaluation of their potential to treat HCT116 colon cancer, Leishmanial, and bacterial cells. A characteristic Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) band to confirm synthesis was observed at ~ 450 nm of λ light by UV–Visible spectrophotometer. SEM and AFM micrographs unraveled that nanostructures are anisotropic, spherical and have a size under ~ 100 nm. Particle size analysis confirmed that the majority of the nanoparticles exist in ~ 6–20 nm of the size range. EDX investigation represented the highest peak of Ag with ~ 74% signal intensity. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of the N–H (amine) group, C–N (cyanide) group and C≡C (alkynes) stretch as the surface capping agents. AgNPs were found biocompatible against human RBCs at a lower dose and LD100 was recorded as 117 μg/ml, which shows that a very high dose of AgNPs is required to cause toxicity to RBCs. The selective dose-dependent response of AgNPs was reported against Leishmania tropica and decreasing the dose of the nanoparticles resulted in increasing the survival rate of the pathogen (P

The present study assessed the phytotoxic and cytotoxic potential of the essential oil (EO) extracted from aboveground parts of Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed 39 compounds constituting 99.67% of the EO. The EO was rich in monoterpenoids (mostly oxygenated monoterpenes), which accounted for 89.28% of the oil. The major components in EO were monoterpene ketones such as piperitone oxide (53.83%) and piperitenone oxide (11.52%), followed by thymol (5.80%), and (E)-caryophyllene (4.88%). The phytotoxic activities of EO were estimated against Cyperus rotundus, Echinochloa crus-galli, and Oryza sativa (rice) through pre- and post-emergence assays at concentrations ranging from 10 to 250 μg/ml and 0.5-5%, respectively. In pre-emergence assay, the phytotoxic effect of EO was most pronounced on C. rotundus, thereby significantly affecting percent germination, plantlet growth, and chlorophyll content. On the contrary, the impact was comparatively lesser on rice, with ~ 40% germination in response to 250 μg/ml of EO treatment. In the post-emergence assay, the spray treatment of EO caused a loss of chlorophyll and wilting in test plants, and subsequently affected the growth of plants, even leading to death in some cases. The cytotoxic activity of EO (at 2.5-50 μg/ml) was studied in meristem cells in onion (Allium cepa L.) root tips. EO exposure to the onion roots induced various chromosomal aberrations such as chromosomal bridges, c-mitosis, stickiness, vagrant chromosomes, etc., and negatively affected the mitotic index. At 50 μg/ml, EO treatment triggered the complete death of roots. The study concludes that M. longifolia EO has phytotoxic activities due to the mito-depressive effect, along with other physiological effects on target plants. Therefore, EO of M. longifolia could be developed into a novel bioherbicide for sustainable management of weeds in agricultural systems.

Background This is the first comprehensive report on the traditional and novel uses of medicinal plants practiced by the indigenous communities of the Sudhnoti district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. The area is rich in folklore and indigenous medicinal knowledge due to a unique tribal composition and socioeconomic conditions. This study aimed to document traditional knowledge of native plant use by the local communities, particularly those used for therapeutic purposes. Methods Field surveys were conducted from September 2015 to March 2017. Interviews with 125 local inhabitants of different tribes, age groups, genders, and occupations were conducted using structured and semi-structured questions along with group discussions. Data gathered on plant uses, local names, and modes of application of each plant species were organized in tables. Ethnobotanical indices such as use value (UV) and cultural significance index (CSI) were used to produce quantitative information on the plant use category, frequency, and cultural preference of species. Reports on therapeutic uses of medicinal plants were compared with previous studies. Results In all, 88 plant species from 45 families were reported, out of which 67 (77%) were used in ethnomedical applications. Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae were the dominant families. Berberis lycium was the most valued plant species, followed by Zanthoxylum armatum and Taraxacum officinale. Mentha arvensis had the highest cultural significance, followed by Mentha longifolia, Punica granatum, and Zanthoxylum armatum. Leaves were the most preferred plant parts in the preparation of medicine exclusively or mixed with other parts. The most frequently used process of crude preparation of medicinal plants was cooking. Oral intake was the predominant route of administration. Conclusions Our comparative analysis confirmed that most of the plants documented have uses that match those previously reported for the region and other parts of the world, with the exception of novel medicinal uses for 11 plant species, including Verbascum thapsus for earache, Elaeagnus umbellata for hepatitis, Achillea millefolium for oral care, Dicliptera roxburghiana to prevent sunstroke in cattle, Rumex hastatus for allergy antidote, Pyrus pashia for hepatitis, and Nerium oleander for diabetes.

Background The present study is the first quantitative ethnobotanical evaluation of Harighal, an inaccessible and unexplored area of District Bagh Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). The exploration, quantification, and comparison of ethnobotanical knowledge among different rural communities of the study area were mainly focused during field survey. Methodology In total, 79 informants (49 men and 34 women) were selected randomly to collect data using a semi-structured questionnaire. Various quantitative indices, including use value, relative frequency of citation, relative importance, fidelity level, and informant consent factor, were employed to evaluate the gathered information. Furthermore, primary data were also compared with twenty-two papers published from adjoining areas. Result A total of 150 medicinal plants belonging to 98 genera and 60 families were documented. Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Rosaceae were the dominant families having 15 species each. Of these, 76 species were indigenous, 74 exotic, 136 were collected in the wild, 10 cultivated, and 4 both wild-collected and cultivated. Herbaceous taxa were the most used life form, and leaves were the most exploited plant part. Decoctions were the most preferred method used in preparation of herbal recipes. Three species viz. Mentha longifolia, Berberis lycium, and Galium aparine had the highest use value (1.05), relative frequency of citation (0.81), and relative importance value (96), respectively. The highest informant consensus factor (ICF) was reported for digestive disorders. Mentha longifolia, Punica granatum, Zanthoxylum alatum, and Olea ferruginea had 100% fidelity values. The Jaccard index revealed that uses of plants were more similar in two neighboring areas, i.e., Pearl Valley and Toli Peer. Conclusion Local inhabitants still prioritize herbal medicines as an effective way to treat a wide variety of ailments. Elders and health practitioners of the study area are well aware of indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants, but young people are not much interested in herbal practices. Thus, valuable knowledge about the use of plants is on the verge of decline.

BackgroundAcinetobacter baumanniiis an opportunistic pathogen that causes nosocomial infections especially in patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Accordingly, the aim of our study was to detectionof adeABCefllux pump encoding genes and antimicrobial effect of the essential oil ofMentha longifoliaandMentholon the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of imipenem and ciprofloxacin in clinical isolates ofA. baumannii.MethodsA total of 75 clinical isolates ofA. baumanniiwere collected. The presence of efflux pump genes was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the essential oil ofMentha longifoliaand Menthol and their combined effect with antibiotics were measured by microbroth dilution method and fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index.ResultsThe frequency ofadeA,adeB, andadeCgenes in clinical isolates ofA. baumanniiwere 86.7, 90.7, and 92%, respectively. When the essential oil ofMentha longifoliawas combined with ciprofloxacin and imipenem, MICs decreased 4- and 8-fold, respectively. In the combination of menthol with imipenem, the resistance to imipenem was reduced from 0- to 16-fold in 90% (63/70) of the isolates.ConclusionThe presence of efflux pump genes in more than 90% ofA. baumanniiisolates indicates its potential role in inducing imipenem- and ciprofloxacin-resistance in this bacterium. Menthol has an antimicrobial effect as an active ingredient inMentha longifolia. In the future, the combination of medicinal plants with antibiotics can be used as a complement in treating diseases caused by drug-resistant bacteria such asA. baumanniiinfections.

Mentha is one of the most important genera of the Lamiaceae with a wide geographical distribution and considerable commercial importance. The general aim of this work was to group 34 accessions from four species of mint using ISSR molecular markers to select some accessions to estimate the potential cross-ability of mints valuable in breeding and phytochemical research. The reproductive characteristics including the type of flower, petal color, sepal and petal lengths, length of stamen and pistil as well as the number of free and living pollen grains in the anther were also studied to find out cross-ability patterns and the possible reproductive barriers. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) among and within species showed more intra-specific variation (92.24%) in comparison with inter-species variation (7.76%). Results of cluster analysis based on ISSR data grouped the mint genotypes into five clusters. By this, the greatest genetic similarity was found between Ms12 from M. spicata and Ml29 from M. longifolia. The genotype Ms12 along with Ms22, the other genotype from M. spicata, were found to be male sterile due to stopped stamen development. These two had higher combining ability (seed set) when used as the female parent in intra-specific crosses and when crossed with M. longifolia compared to the other genotypes in diallel crosses. The highest number of hybrid seeds was obtained where Ml29 was crossed as the male parent with male sterile Ms12 as the female one. This high success rate of seed set in interspecific crosses between M. spicata and M. longifolia could be related to their genomic similarity confirmed by ISSR molecular data. Therefore, producing hybrid seeds and subsequent generations from crosses between these species, utilizing male sterility mechanism, can be a source of new genetic variation for mint.

In this research, agro-morphological variation among twenty genotypes of Mentha longifolia L. was assessed in 2 years based on agricultural production under water stress condition. The experiment was arranged in split–split-plot design with water stress treatment in two irrigation levels of 100% (as control) and 60% field capacity in three replications. The result of variance analysis indicated that there was a significant variation (P ≤ 0.01) in traits among the genotypes and in response to the water deficit condition. Different traits were measured such as plant height, yield, date of flowering, inflorescence length, stem diameter, fresh and dry weight of leaf, essential oil content, and essential oil yield. Results showed that traits such as yield and essential oil yield had considerable variation, varying from 374.17 to 899.33 g m−2 and 17.7–391.6 kg ha−1 on the analysis in response to water stress condition, respectively. Cluster analysis using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means grouped the studied twenty genotypes into two major clusters based on agro-morphological traits which all the studied genotypes were known as yield ecotype. Five genotypes including Hormozagan, Khuzestan, Kerman-1, West Azarbaijan, and Ghazvin had the most significant biomass and essential oil performance and resistance under water stress condition that can be introduced for domestication breeding programs and cultivation.

In this work, we fabricated ZnO and ZnO/CuO nanocomposites using Mentha longifolia leaf extract as a natural, non-toxic, and efficient stabilizer. Anti-bacterial activities of the prepared samples against two pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia coli (Gram-negative), and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) were investigated. The properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, TGA, FT-IR, UV–Vis DRS, and BET instruments. The XRD analysis indicated that the size of crystallites was decreased for the ZnO powder prepared in the presence of the leaf extract. The SEM images showed that the samples consist of spherical shaped well-distributed particles. In addition, the presence of biomolecules from the leaf extract was revealed by EDX, TGA, FT-IR, and UV–Vis DRS analyses, which are important in biosynthesis process. The highest anti-bacterial activity belonged to the ZnO/CuO (10%) nanocomposite and the other compounds, including ZnO/CuO (5%), ZnO (ext), and ZnO (W) were in the next ranks, respectively. It was observed that the viability percentages against E. coli (10.16 ± 2.2) is higher than that of S. aureus (17.1 ± 0.87) in the presence of the ZnO/CuO (10%) nanocomposite. Ultimately, the mechanism for the action of the ZnO/CuO (10%) nanocomposite was explored through the SEM images, which involved the disruption of the bacterial membranes.

Begomoviruses are whiteflies transmitted virus causing serious disease in many important plants exhibiting variable symptoms with significant economic loss globally. Mentha is an important crop being grown here in Saudi Arabia for various purposes. The begomovirus associated disease was observed on Mentha crops during field survey which were growing near to tomato field. There is no published report available about the association of begomovirus on Mentha from this region. So, this work was conducted to identify the causative agent associated with yellow vein mosaic disease. Naturally infected samples were collected from various locations and causative agent was identified by PCR using begomovirus specific primers and further cloned and sequenced bidirectionally. The full genome had total 2785 nucleotides while betasatellite molecule had 1365 nucleotides. Based on full-genome sequence analysis, the identity matrix and phylogenetic analysis showed the highest identity (99.6%) with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) reported from tomato in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The identified begomovirus was observed as isolate of TYLCV.

Meiotic studies and chromosome data are imperative in order to have an overall germplasm evaluation of a taxon. In the present effort, the meiotic study is carried out in 48 populations belonging to 26 species of Lamiaceae collected from their natural habitats in Kashmir Himalaya, which forms an important part of Northwest Himalaya. Chromosome counts in the five species viz. Dracocephalum nutans (2n = 10), Lycopus europaeus (2n = 22), Marrubium vulgare (2n = 54), Nepeta nervosa (2n = 18) and Salvia sclarea (2n = 22) are first time reported from India. Besides, 17 species are cytologically evaluated for the first time from the study area-Kashmir Himalaya. In Marrubium vulgare, hexaploid cytotype (2n = 6 × =54) is reported for the first time. Also, diploid and tetraploid cytomorphovariants are observed in Calamintha vulgaris (2n = 20, 40), Elsholtzia ciliata (2n = 16, 32) and Mentha longifolia (2n = 20, 40). Various meiotic abnormalities like chromatin stickiness, cytomixis, nonsynchronous disjunction, laggards, chromatin bridges, etc. leading to pollen abnormalities have been documented for the first time in some species. The worldwide status of chromosome number data in each genus is presented.

This study investigated the extent of metal accumulation by plants colonizing a mining area in Yazd Province in Central Iran. It also investigated the suitability of these plants for phytoextraction and phytostabilization as two potential phytoremediation strategies. Plants with a high bioconcentration factor (BCF) and low translocation factor (TF) have the potential for phytostabilization, whereas plants with both BCFs and TFs >1 may be appropriate for phytoextraction. In this study, both shoots and roots of 40 plant species and associated soil samples were collected and analyzed for total concentrations of trace elements (Pb, Zn, and Ag). BCFs and TFs were calculated for each element. Nonnea persica, Achillea wilhelmsii, Erodium cicutarium, and Mentha longifolia were found to be the most suitable species for phytostabilization of Pb and Zn. Colchicum schimperi, Londesia eriantha, Lallemantia royleana, Bromus tectorum, Hordeum glaucum, and Thuspeinantha persica are the most promising species for element phytoextraction in sites slightly enriched by Ag. Ferula assa-foetida is the most suitable species for phytostabilization of the three studied metals. C. schimperi, L. eriantha, L. royleana, B. tectorum, M. longifolia, and T. persica accumulated Ag, albeit at low level. Our preliminary study shows that some native plant species growing on this contaminated site may have potential for phytoremediation.

International audience; In urban agriculture, plant growth is limited by the availability of light. Light emitting diodes (LED) could provide specific quality and quantity of light overcoming existing limitations for normal plant growth. However, there have been very few investigations on the applications of LED in incubators and plant growth chambers. The devices fabricated in this study, were lighted with 100 % red, 100 % blue, 70 % red plus 30 % blue, or 100 % white LED. We cultivated Mentha piperita, Mentha spicata and Mentha longifolia, lentil, basil, and four ornamentals to test the effect of various LED lights on plants productivity compared with field and greenhouse conditions. Our results show that 70/30 % red-blue LED light increased Mentha essential oil yield up to four times along with increases in plant photosynthesis and fresh weight compared with field condition. The red-blue LED incubator also led to a better growth of lentil and basil and to higher flower buds and less days to flowering for pot flowers versus greenhouse conditions. Our findings demonstrate that LED could improve economic characteristics of plant species by probably stimulating plant metabolism.

The composition of the essential oils and methanolic extracts of two cultivated mint species (M. longifolia and M. pulegium), as well as the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract of Mentha longifolia and Mentha pulegium were compared. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil identified 41 compounds constituting 96.66 and 96.13% of the total oil from M. longifolia and M. pulegium, respectively. The later oils were rich on pulegone (47.15 and 61.11%, respectively). Moreover, 1,8 cineole (11.54%), menthone (10.7%), α-pinene (3.57%), α-terpineol (3.17%) and d-cadinene (3.53%) were only present in M. longifolia oil, while isomenthone (17.02%), and piperitone (2.63%), were characteristic of M. pulegium oil. Shoot extract of the two species showed significantly different contents in total polyphenols (89.1 and 37.41 mg GAE/g DW), flavonoids (63.93 and 33.83 mg CE/g DW) and tannins (1.47 and 3.07 mg CE/g DW), respectively in M. longifolia and M. pulegium. The essential oils showed strong antimicrobial activity against all 16 microorganisms tested, whereas the methanol extracts were inactive. Moreover, the essential oils showed higher antioxidant activity than the methanolic extracts against the DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging. In fact, antioxidant activities of the oils were the same for both M. longifolia and M. pulegium against DPPH (IC50 = 9 and 10 μg/ml, respectively) and 2-fold and 4-fold higher than shoot extracts (IC50 = 20 and 48 μg/ml, respectively). Moreover, both oils showed the same antioxidative abilities as compared to the positive control (butylated hydroxytoluene). In the same way, the capacity to inhibit superoxide anion was very significant for the two oils (0.1 μg/ml for M. longifolia and 0.11 μg/ml for M. pulegium).

This study was conceived to evaluate the difference in the chemical composition of the essential oil ofMentha longifolia ssp.longifolia from two ecotypes (Sidi Bouzid and Gabes) as well as the difference of the composition of the oils extracted from the leaves and stems. The antimicrobial activity was also tested against 16 human pathogenic microorganisms. The chemical composition of the hydrodistilled essential oils ofMentha longifolia ssp.longifolia were analysed by GC and GC/MS system. Remarkable differences were recorded between the percentages of the few constituents from leaves and stems and between plants from the two geographical provinces. The chemical analysis of the essential oil obtained from leaves and stems showed the presence of 34 compounds. The most important ones were consecutively: 1,8-cineole (5.6–10.8%), menthone (20.7–28.8%), terpineol-4 (3.1–4.9%), menthol (19.4–32.5%), pulegone (7.8–17.8%) and piperitone (2.2–3.3%). These major components occur in different amounts depending on the organs (leaves or stems) and the geographical origin of the plant. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was tested using the disc-diffusion assay and minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) values were estimated according to the microdilution method. The results showed that the essential oil ofMentha longifolia ssp.longifolia had great potential of antimicrobial activity against all 8 bacteria and 8 yeast species tested. The (MIC) for bacteria was ranging from 0.195 to 3.12 × 103 μg/ml.

The chemical composition of five aromatic plants (Mentha longifolia, M. pulegium, Eugenia caryophyllata, Thymus vulgaris and Rosmarinus officinalis) frequently used in food preparation in Tunisia was analysed by GC-MS. The antimicrobial effect of the essential oils obtained from these plants was tested against Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio fluvialis strains. Thyme oil exhibited a high level of antimicrobial activities against Vibrio spp. strains. The diameter of the zones of growth inhibition for V. parahaemolyticus species was interestingly high (ranging from 14.66 to 28 mm). The MIC and MBC values were interestingly low for thyme oil (MIC 0.078–0.156 mg/ml) and (MBC >0.31–1.25 mg/ml). These results showed that these plants especially thyme and clove, can be to be used for seafood preparation to protect against contamination by Vibrio spp. strains.

Acaricidal effects of three Labiatae essential oils extracted from ariel parts of Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. sipyleus, Mentha longifolia L., and Dorystoechas hastata Boiss. & Heldr. ex Bentham on 10-day-old Rhipicephalus turanicus Pom. (Acari: Ixodidae) larvae were evaluated by using the larval packet test bioassay. Serial dilutions of the three essential oils were tested from a starting concentration of 1-0.1 % (1.0, 0.5, 0.25, and 0.1 % w/v). Results showed that all essential oils had very similar activity, producing complete mortality (100 %) in all tested concentrations on 10-day-old R. turanicus tick larvae. Akdeniz University

The glycosides of volatile compounds and the essential oil were isolated from wild Mentha longifolia. After the enzymatic hydrolysis of glycosides, fourteen volatile aglycones were identified by GC/MS. The main aglycones were eugenol, 2-phenylethanol, benzyl alcohol, lavandulol, trans- and cis-carveol, 3-octanol, and 3-hexen-1-ol. The content of aglycones was 40.85 mg kg-1 of dried plant material. The main components of the essential oil (yield 0.93 w/w) were carvone, piperitenone oxide, limonene, and β-caryophyllene. Eugenol, carveol, 3-octanol, and α-terpineol were identified in the aglycones and in the essential oil.

Twelve Mediterranean hydrophyte species collected inLebanon were evaluated for their potential asbioindicator species for heavy metal pollution innutrient cultures enriched with 1 ppm Cr, Ni and Cd.These were: Nasturtium officinale R.Br, Apium nodiflorum L., Veronica beccabunga L., Veronica anagallis aquatica L., Veronicalysimachioides L., Veronica anagalloides L., Mentha longifolia L., Mentha aquatica L., Mentha pulegium L., Potentilla reptansL., Mentha sylvestris L., and Cardamine uliginosa L.. Large variability in responseto exposure to the heavy metals was observed. Growthrates remained high during the experimental period,indicating that the plants were little affected by thepresence of the metal at the experimentalconcentration. Metal accumulation and bioconcentrationvaried within at least one order of magnitude, andranged from less than 10 to over 200. Cr waspreferentially accumulated in the roots. All speciesbut M. pulegium, P. reptans and V. anagallisaquatica accumulated and bioconcentrated sufficientCr to qualify as bioindicator species. Five of thespecies that accumulated Cr also accumulated Ni, withthe same partitioning into the root. These were: N. officinale, C. uliginosa sp., M. longifolia, M. aquatica and M. sylvestris, all of which mayalso be used as bioindicators of Ni pollution. Onlyone species, M. aquatica, accumulated Cdsignificantly, and may, therefore, be used as abioindicator for all three metals.

Background Amenorrhea is defined as the cessation of menses. Hormone therapy is the most common treatment. Due to the contraindications and side effects of it and the increasing demand for alternative medicine substitutes, Mentha longifolia L. was used in this study. Mentha longifolia L. is a known medication in Iranian traditional medicine to induce menstrual bleeding in women with secondary amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. Methods A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study was conducted in 120 women with secondary amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. Treatment consisted of sequential oral syrup, 45 ml (15 ml three times a day) for 2 weeks. If the patients did not have menstruation after 2 weeks of taking the medication, we would wait for two more weeks. If the patients had menstruation at each stage of using the drug, we started it one week after the end of menstruation. But if the patients had not menstruate after four weeks (two-week using of drug and waiting for two more weeks), the previous steps were repeated. The drug and placebo were repeated in three cycles of menstruation. Bleeding was documented by the patient on diary cards. The primary outcome variable was the occurrence (yes/no) of bleeding during the first treatment cycle. The secondary efficacy outcome was the regularity of bleeding pattern during the three cycles of the study. Results The number of women with bleeding during the first cycle were higher in the drug group as in the placebo group (68.3% vs. 13.6%; p Mentha longifolia L. syrup. Conclusion In conclusion, Mentha longifolia L. syrup is a safe, well-tolerated, and effective choice in inducing bleeding and maintaining regular bleeding in women with secondary amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea.

The essential oils of four medicinal plants belonging to Lamiaceae were explored for phytonematode control. The four oils inhibited (P

0009-3130/12/4804-0683 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 1) Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Chemistry in Arid Regions, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830011, Urumqi, P. R. China, fax: (86991) 383 56 79, e-mail: haji@ms.xjb.ac.cn; 2) Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, P. R. China. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, July–August, 2012, p. 611. Original article submitted March 5, 2012. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, Vol. 48, No. 4, September, 2012 [Russian original No. 4, July–August, 2012]