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Review
. 2015 May 13;20(5):8605-33.
doi: 10.3390/molecules20058605.

Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (Lamiaceae) Essential Oil and Its Main Constituent Piperitenone Oxide: Biological Activities and Chemistry

Mijat Božović  1 , Adele Pirolli  2 , Rino Ragno  3
Affiliations
Review

Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (Lamiaceae) Essential Oil and Its Main Constituent Piperitenone Oxide: Biological Activities and Chemistry

Mijat Božović et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Since herbal medicines play an important role in the treatment of a wide range of diseases, there is a growing need for their quality control and standardization. Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (MS) is an aromatic herb with fruit and a spearmint flavor, used in the Mediterranean areas as a traditional medicine. It has an extensive range of biological activities, including cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive and insecticidal properties, among others. This study aims to review the scientific findings and research reported to date on MS that prove many of the remarkable various biological actions, effects and some uses of this species as a source of bioactive natural compounds. On the other hand, piperitenone oxide (PO), the major chemical constituent of the carvone pathway MS essential oil, has been reported to exhibit numerous bioactivities in cells and animals. Thus, this integrated overview also surveys and interprets the present knowledge of chemistry and analysis of this oxygenated monoterpene, as well as its beneficial bioactivities. Areas for future research are suggested.

Keywords: Mentha suaveolens Ehrh.; biological activity; essential oil; extracts; piperitenone oxide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Wild MS (A) and PO 2D (B) and 3D (C) structure depictions.
Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Carvone biosynthetic pathway.
Scheme 2
Scheme 2
The principal pathways for monoterpene biosynthesis in peppermint. The responsible enzymes are as follows: geranyl diphosphate synthase (1); (−)-limonene synthase (2); cytochrome P450 (−)-limonene-3-hydroxylase (3); (−)-trans-isopiperitenol dehydrogenase (4); (−)-isopiperitenone reductase (5); (+)-cis-isopulegone isomerase (6); (+)-PR (7); cytochrome P450 (+)-MFS (8); (−)-menthone reductase (9); and the terpenoid epoxidase (10). OPP denotes the diphosphate moiety [94].
Scheme 3
Scheme 3
Synthesis of piperitenone from mesityloxide and methyl vinyl ketone.
Scheme 4
Scheme 4
Epoxidation of piperitenone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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MeSH terms