Cytotoxic Effects of Essential Oils and Extracts of some Mentha species on Vero, Hela and Hep2 Cell Lines

Mentha species are widely used in traditional medicine mostly as anti-flatulence. Nowadays, their usage as flavor and preservative in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries has been developed. Moreover, cytotoxic effects of some Mentha species have been reported. In this study, cytotoxic properties of Mentha piperita, M. spicata, M. aquatica, M. crispa, M. pulegium and M. longifolia have been investigated. Different concentrations of essential oils and total extracts of six Mentha species were tested by MTT assay against Vero, Hep2 and Hela cell lines. The results showed that all samples were toxic against Vero, Hela and Hep2 cell lines (IC50 28.1-166.2 µg/ml). All examined Mentha species extracts and essential oils have cytotoxic effects but some of them could be considered as potent toxic agents.