Studies On The Active Constituents Of Mentha Spicata L.

Mentha spicata L, a species of Mentha Linn., is used as a folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory, antalgesic and hemostasis.The 80% ethanolic extract showed potent anti-inflammatory and antalgic effects. The 30% ethanolic extract exhibited potenter anti-inflammatory activity than others.As for the chemical constituents of this plant, systemic studies lead to the isolation of forty compounds from the extract, and thirty-seven of them were identified by spectroscopic analysis. Seven new compounds were characterized, and they were: spicatolignan A (MS-1), spicatolignan B (MS-2), spicatoside A (MS-8), spicatoside B (MS-9), spicatoside C (MS-6), luteolin 7-O-B-D-glucuronide butuni ester (MS-10), 10, 13, 14-trihydroxy-11-cis- octadecenoic acid (MS-7).The known compounds were isolariciresinol 2a-O-B-D- glucopyranoside (MS-3), eugenol-O-p- glucopyranoside (MS-4), rosmarinic acid (MS-5); 5, 4'-dihydroxy flavonoid-7-p-D-glucuronide butuni ester (MS-11), didymin (MS-12), acaciin (MS-13) hesperitin (MS-14), hesperetin-7-p-D- glucoside (MS-15), luteolin-7-p-D-glucoside (MS-16), luteolin (MS-17), luteolin-7-O-p-D-glucuronide (MS-18), chrysoeriol (MS-19), apigenin-7-p-D -glucoside (MS-20), apigenin-7-p-D- glucuronide, (MS-21), thymonin (MS-22), 5, 6-dihydroxy-7, 8, 3', 4'-tetra-methoxyflavone (MS-23), 5-hydroxy-3', 4', 6, 7-tetramethoxyflavone (MS-24), diosmetin (MS-25), 3'-methoxy- 5, 6, 7, 4'-tetrahydroxyflavone (MS-26); 3-methoxy-4-hydroxylbenzoic acid (MS-27), 3, 5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (MS-28), veratric acid (MS-29), protocatechuic aldehyde (MS-30), 3-methoxy-4-methylbenzaldehyde (MS-31), protocatechuic acid (MS- 32); ursolic acid (MS-33), tormentic acid( MS-34), Apigenin (MS-35), daucoster ol (MS-36), /3-sitosterol (MS-37).Among them, compounds MS-3, MS-5, MS-11, MS-27, MS-28, MS-29, MS-30, MS-31, MS-32 were isolated from Mentha genus for the first time. MS-12, MS-14, MS-15, MS-19, MS-20, MS-22, MS-23, MS-26 were first obtained from Mentha spicta L.Compounds MS-1, MS-5, MS-12, MS-13 and MS-14 isolated from Mentha spicata L, were further evaluated for its antiproliferative activity on murine fibrosarcoma L929 cell, human histocytic lymphoma U937 cell, and human cervical carcinoma HeLa cell in vitro. MS-1 and MS-13 have much more potent cytotoxic effects on L929 than those of other compounds, and L929 cell and U937 cell are also sensitive to MS-5.On the basis of chemical and pharmacological works, quality standardization of soft capsule and crude herbs of Mentha spicata L. were further conducted, and Quantitative determinations were established.