ISHS Acta Horticulturae 680: III WOCMAP Congress on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Volume 6: Traditional Medicine and Nutraceuticals
NOVEL MENTHA SPICATA CLONES WITH ENHANCED ROSMARINIC ACID AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY |
| Authors: | R.S. Fletcher, C. McAuley, L.S. Kott |
| Keywords: | anti-inflammatory, HIV, spearmint, phenolics, 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) acrylic acid-1-carboxy-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) ethyl ester |
| Abstract:
Phenolic compounds are a diverse class of secondary metabolites that exhibit antioxidant activity. Mints contain moderate levels of these compounds, and a number of Mentha spicata plant clones, biochemically selected in vitro for elevated phenolics, were characterized for phenolic acid composition, rosmarinic acid content and antioxidant activity. Total phenolics of mints grown under field conditions ranged from 19 mg/g DW to 67 mg/g DW, which is twice the concentration found in the controls. Levels of rosmarinic acid, a potent and effective HIV-1 integrase and reverse transcriptase inhibitor, were as high as 122 mg/g DW, greater than twice the amount present in control plants. A significant correlation was found between elevated phenolics and antioxidant activity, and a direct linear correlation between rosmarinic acid and free radical quenching. Commercially, these high-output antioxidant mint clones potentially can provide an effective, low cost source of natural antioxidants for medicinal purposes. Since these fast growing, perennial spearmint genotypes are easy to cultivate, can sustain several harvests annually, and generate high levels of rosmarinic acid, they could deliver a cost-effective, sustainable source of a powerful HIV drug for emerging nations. | |
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