ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF MENTHA PULEGIUM ESSENTIAL OIL

Background and Aim:The antimicrobial activity of plant oils and extracts has been recognized for many years; With regard to rapid emerging antibiotic resistance in bacteria, the importance of developing new, reliable, cost-efficient, and non-toxic herbal antimicrobial agents is undeniable.In this research, the essential oil from leaves of Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) plant was evaluated against some bacteria and fungi.Methods:The essential oil was obtained by water-distillation using clevenger-type system. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of essential oil was determined by modified E-test.Results:The results indicated that Mentha pulegium essential oil, had high inhibitory activity against Gram positive (Bacillus Cereus(MIC=31mcg/ml) and Staphylococcus aureus(MIC=62mcg/ml)), and Gram negative (Escherichia coli(MIC=15mcg/ml), Klebsiella and shigella(MIC=31mcg/ml)) bacteria. The Candida albicans also showed a considerable sensitivity to this essential oil.Conclusion:Based on these results, it can be suggested that essential oil of M. pulegium with high effective antibacterial activity can be used as a new source for producing antibiotics against bacterial and fungal pathogens.

کلیدواژه ها:

Mentha Pulegium_agents ، antimicrobial