Abstract
The objective of this work is to explore the phytochemical profile of Mentha piperita essential oils (MPEO) collected from two different Moroccan regions using gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometer (GC-MS) and to investigate their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and, antimicrobial effects using in vivo and in vitro assays. The chemical constituent of MPEO from the Azrou zone is dominated by carvone (70.25%), while MPEO from the Ouazzane zone is rich in Menthol (43.32%) and Menthone (29.4%). MPEO from Ouezzane showed higher antioxidant activity than EO from Azrou. Nevertheless, EO from Ouezzane considerably inhibited 5-Lipoxygenase (IC50 = 11.64 +/- 0.02 mu g/mL) compared to EO from Azro (IC50 = 23.84 +/- 0.03 mu g/mL). Both EOs from Azrou and Ouazzane inhibited the alpha-amylase activity in vitro, with IC50 values of 131.62 +/- 0.01 mu g/mL and 91.64 +/- 0.03 mu g/mL, respectively. The EOs were also tested for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The disc-diffusion test revealed that MPEOs from both regions have significant antibacterial efficacy, and MPEOs from the north region showed the highest effect. The gram-positive bacteria were the most susceptible organisms. The MIC concentrations were in the range of 0.05 to 6.25 mg/mL, and the MBC concentrations were within 0.05-25.0 mg/mL. The MBC/MIC index indicated that MPEO has strong bactericidal effects.