Chemical composition, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic properties of five Lamiaceae essential oils

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the biological activity of essential oils from five Lamiaceae species, Mentha piperita, Mentha pulegium, Lavandula angustifolia, Satureja montana and Salvia lavandulifolia, for their chemical composition, antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties. Gas chromatography coupled with FID and MS of essential oils revealed menthol (47.5%), pulegone (68.7), linalool (40.3%), thymol (44.6%), and camphor (29.1%) to be major oils' components, respectively. Minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal (MBC/MFC) concentrations were determined by microdilution method. Seven bacterial species, representing clinical specimens, including Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Enterecoccus feacalis, and fifty eight clinical oral Candida spp. isolates along with three reference strains were used in experiment. All essential oils (EOs) exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms; the oil of S. montana proved to be the most potent one (MIC 30.0-630.0 mu g/mL, MBC 60.0-250.0 mu g/mL; MIC 0.9-1.0 mu g/mL; MFC 1.0-3.0 mu g/mL). In addition, the oil also revealed the highest cytotoxic activity against tested cell lines, presenting IC50 values from 40.13 to 65.51 mu g/mL, with mild selectivity towards HeLa cells observed in regard to the normal cell line (MRC-5). In addition to the herbs traditional use in food and pharmacy, results of this study proved the great potential of their essential oils for application in oral disease and anticancer treatments.