INTRODUCTION:

The Mentha arvensis plant is antibacterial, antifibrile¹. It yields an essential oil and the chief constituents are menthol which exerts, through their rapid evaporation, slightly anaesthetic in nature, and anodyne local effect. It is effective in headache, running nose, cough sore throat, colic, and prurigo and vomiting. Menthol obtained from this is used in balms like counter irritant action. It is also used as good flavouring agent in culinary preparations. It is well known as a cardiac tonic uses in pharmaceutical preparations. It is a good blood cleaning property also. Due to it is antiseptic and anti-bacterial property, it can be used in swollen gums, mouthwash or mouth ulcers and toothache.² The present study is revealed the pharmacognostical phytochemical and anti oxident potential of this plant of metha arvensis for clear monograph described.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Collection and Authentication of Plant materials:

The Plant of Mentha arvensis was collected from Mooligai Pannai, 7km away from Thanjavur(Tamilnadu) in the month of August 2015. The Plants was identified by local people of that village and authenticated by Dr. N.Ravichandran, Asst. professor, CARISM, SASTRA University, thanjavur, The Voucher specimen is preserved in laboratory for future reference.

Micrscopical examination of Plant Species:³

Microscopical examination and characterization of plant drugs have always been accorded due credentials in the pharmacognostic studies. Anatomical examination of plant drugs may not apparently bear any direct correlation with the pharmacological and phytochemical evaluations. This contention has made many investigators to ask “why anatomical parameters in the study of plant drugs?” one should always remember that botanical identity of the plant drug is an essential prerequisite for undertaking the analysis of medicinal properties of any plant.⁴ A researcher may succeed in getting a new compound or may find many pharmacologically active properties in a drug. If the botanical identity of the drug happens to be dubious or erratic, the entire work on the plant becomes invalid. Thus it is needless to stress that botanical identity of a crude drug is the threshold in the process of pharmacological investigations. The researcher should be equipped with all possible diagnostic parameters of the plant on which the researcher plans to work.

Leaves were collected were fixed in the field immediately after collections. The fixative used was FAA (Formalin: acetic acid: ethyl alcohol). The materials were cut into small pieces before fixing. The materials were left in FAA for more than 2 days. Dehydration was carried out employing graded stages of tertiary butyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol mixture as per the scdhule given as Sass, 1940.⁵

After dehydration, paraffin infiltration was carried out till supersaturation of tertitary butyl alcohol was achieved. Following supersaturation, materials,were transferred to pure paraffin wax for two times and the materials were cast into paraffin blocks.⁵

Microtoming:

Wax embedded materials were sectioned with the help of rotary microtome to the thick ness of 10-12 micrometer. Sections were stained with toludine ble(0.25% having a pH of 4.7) as per the schedule given O’ Brien et al., (O, Brien 1964) Since the stain has metachromatic property, different colours of the cells were obtained depending upon the chemical nature of the cells.⁶

Phsiochemical properties:

Different physio-chemical values such as Ash value, extractive values, loss on drying, foreign organic matter, Crude fibre content, were determined and reported on the table number 1.⁷

Collection of Plant Extracts:

The different ratio of the cold macerated hydro alcoholic standardized dry extract of Mentha arvensis (3:1), (Batch Number-6086), was collected from AMSAR private Limited Indore, India.

Phytochemical screening of hydro alcoholic extracts:⁸

Phytochemical analysis for the collected the mentha arvensis hydro alcoholic extracts were performed by the following preliminary phytochemical screening methods and the phytosonstituents reported in table number 2.

Estimation of Total phenol content of Hydro alcoholic extracts⁹:

Total phenols were determined by the method of singleton and Rossi 25 using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. An aliquot(0.25ml) of hydro alcoholic extract was added to 3.5ml of distilled water in a screw-capped test tube, followed by 0.5ml of folin-ciocalteu solution. After 3min, 1ml of 1% Sodium cabonate was added and the contents of the tube were thoroughly mixed before being incubated in a boiling water bath for 1min. The tube was allowed to cool in the dark. Tha absorbance of the blue colour that developed was read at 685nm using gallic acid as standard. Results were expressed in mg gallic acid g^-1 fresh weight. The report shown in table number 3.

Estimation of Total flavonoids of hydro alcoholic extracts:^10,11

The TF content was determined using a reagent containing aluminium chloride and sodium nitrite, giving rise to a pink-coloured flavonoid-aluminium complex in the alkaline medium followed by the method of Zhishen et al., A solution corresponding to 30µl of sodium nitrite (10%), 60µl of aluminium chloride hexahydrate (20%), 200µl of sodium hydroxide (1M) and 400µl of water was added to 100µl sample. The absorbance readings at 510nm were started 5min after the addition of the sample, and performed. Reagent blank containing water instead of sample was used. The final absorbance of each sample was compared with a standard curve made from catechin (69-689 µmol/L). The date were expressed as µmol catechin equivalents (CE) per gram of dry matter. The report given in table number 3.

Antioxidant activities of hydro alcoholic extracts of Mentha arvensis, Solanum xanthocarpum^9,12

Instrument Name:	Shimadzu-UV Visible Spectrophotometer (UV-1800)
Standard Chemicals used:	Butylated Hydroxy Toluene (BHT) Di-phenyl Picryl Hydrazyl (DPPH)
Method:	DPPH¹²

The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the Hydro alcoholic Plant extracts was estimated according to the method of Blois (Blios, 1958). After mixing 0.1ml of Plants extracts with 0.9ml of 0.041mM DPPH in ethanol for 10min, the absorbance of the sample was measured at 517nm. Radical scavenging activity was expressed as percent inhibition and was calculated using the following formula. The report showed in the table number 4.

% DPPH radical scavenging activity = (1- sample OD/Control OD) X 100

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS:

Fig. 1: Mentha arvensis

Morphological characters:

Aromatic herbs by running root stocks; stems prostrate or ascending, pubescent. Leaves short-petioled, ovate to broadly lanceolate, weakly toothed, acute. Flowers in axillary dense cymes. Calyx short, Campanulate, pubescent, resin-dotted. Corrolla mostly lilac, lobes five, staments four.

Microscopical characters:

Fig. 2: T.S of Mature leaf through midrib with lamina (Mentha arvensis)

Fig. 3: T.S of Lamina

[AbE-Abaxial epidermis; AdE-Adaxial epidermis; AdG-Adaxial groove; Ep-Epidermins; GT-Ground tissue; GTr-Glandular Trichome; La-Lamina, MR-Midrib; PM-Palisade mesophyll, SM-Spngy mesophyll; St-Stoma; VB-Vascular bundle]

Fig. 4: T.S of Leaf through midrib with foled lamina

Fig. 5: T.S of Lamina with Peltate glandular trichome

Fig. 6: Pairs of calcium oxalate crystals on the adaxial epidermis

[AbE-Abaxial epidermis; AdE-Adaxial epidermis; Cr-Crystal; La-Lamina; MR-Midrib; MT-Mesophyll tissue; PGtr-Peltrate glandular trichome; PM-Palisade mesophyll].

Young leaves have small abaxially projecting midrib and deeply curved arc-shaped lamina [fig. 4]. Mature leaves have thick, circular midrib with lateral winglike lamina [fig. 2]. The midrib is 450µm in Vertical plane and 500µm in horizontal plane. The midrib has distinct epidermal layer of small thick walled squarish cells. The ground tissue has fairly large, circular thin walled compact parenchyma cells [fig. 2]. The vascular strand is single and semicircular with compact parallel lines of xylem elements and thin arc of phloem elements.

The lamina is 80µm thick. It is dorsiventral with adaxial narrow band of palisade cells and four or five layers of spongy parenchyma [fig. 4]. Stomata are on the abaxial side.The young leaves posse’s abundant glandular trichomes on the epidermal cells. The glandular trichome is subsessile peltate glands with short stalk and wide semicircular head [fig. 5, 6]. Some of the epidermal cells of the adaxial side are dilated and posses a spherical mass of fine needles (sphaerites) occupying the entire space of the dilated cell. These structures seem to calcium oxalate crystals. The crystals bearing idioblast usually occur in pairs [fig. 4, 5, 6].

Table No. 1: Physio chemical properties of Mentha arvensis

S. No.	Parameters	%w/w
1.	Pet ether soluble extractives	0.7
2.	Chloroform soluble extractives	1.2
3.	Ethanol soluble extractives	14
4.	Methanol soluble extractives	19
5.	Water soluble extractives	24
6..	Total ash	3.2
7.	Acid insoluble ash	1.2
8	Sulphated ash	3.4
9.	Water insoluble ash	0.8
10.	Crude fibre content	2.3
11.	Foreign organic matter	0.8

Table No. 2: Preliminary Phytochemical screening of the Hydro alcoholic extracts of Mentha arvensis,

Phytoconstituents	*Mentha arvensis*
Alkaloids	-
Aminoacids	-
Anthaquinones	-
Carbohydrates	-
Catechins	-
Flavonoids	+
Phenolic groups	+
Resins/gums	+
Saponins	-
Steroids	-
Tannins	+
Tritepenes	+

+ = Present - = Absent

Hydro alcoholic extracts of Mentha arvensis, were qualitatively screened and are presented in the table No: 1. Triterpenes, Phenolic groups and flavonoids were present in the extracts;. Tannins also present in this extract.

Table No. 3: Estimation of Total phenolic content and Total flavonoids in Hydro alcoholic extracts of Mentha arvensis

Species	Total phenolic content ^a	Total flavonoids ^b
Mentha arvensis	936 ± 71	479 ± 66

Values are mean ± standard deviation (n = 3);

^a μg gallic acid g⁻¹ equivalent weight;

^b μg quercetin g⁻¹ equivalent weight

Table No. 4: Antioxidant activities of hydro alcoholic extracts of Mentha arvensis, Solanum xanthocarpum

S. No.	Sample	Abs. at 517nm	Anti oxidant Activity (%)
1.	DPPH-Control	1.274	-
2.	Mentha arvensis (100mg/ml)	0.111	91.28
4.	BHT(0.1mg/ml)	1.206	5.33

Scavenging activity (%) = {(Abs _control – Abs _sample) / Abs _control} X 100

CONCLUSION:

The microscopical characters of the Mentha arvensis leaves were evaluated by transverse section techniques. Phytochemical analsis was carried out the hydro alcoholic dry extracts of the plant of Mentha arvensis. Flavonoids, phenolic groups, triterpenes and tannins present in this extracts. The total Phenolic and flavaonoid content of the Mentha arvensis extracts values by determined by spectrophotometrically. The Antioxidant activity was done by DPPH method and reported. This study qualitative and quantitatively evaluated the plant of Mentha arvensis leaf. This is one of the valuable mono graphs. Future any performing the research this plant this mono graph is more useful.

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Received on 16.07.2021 Modified on 20.08.2021

Asian J. Research Chem. 2021; 14(6):397-400.

DOI: 10.52711/0974-4150.2021.00068