Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) essential oil as a potent anti-inflammatory, wound healing and anti-nociceptive drug
Sarah Kehili, Mohamed Nadjib Boukhatem, Asma Belkadi, Mohamed Ferhat, William N. Setzer
Abstract
The present investigation was designed to study the chemical composition of Algerian peppermint essential oil (PEO) as well as the <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em> anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and anti-nociceptive properties. Twenty-three compounds were identified in the PEO with the main chemical component as menthol (53.29%). Also, PEO showed a high content of oxygenated monoterpene compounds (92.75%). Topical application of PEO at doses of 200 and 20 µL/kg significantly reduced the acute ear edema in 38.09% and 36.50, respectively. Histological observation confirmed that PEO inhibited the skin inflammatory response. In-vivo wound healing activity of the cream prepared from PEO (0.5% w/w) was assessed by circular excision wound model followed by histological examination. The topical administration of PEO cream showed a significant decrease of unhealed wound area rate between the 6th (1.67±0.14 mm<sup>2</sup>) and the 9th (0.49±0.22 mm<sup>2</sup>) days of treatment when compared with the vehicle (2.32±0.77 mm2; p<0.05) and Madecassol® 0.1% creams (2.23±0.35 mm<sup>2</sup>; p<0.05). The PEO reduced nociceptive behavior at all doses tested in the acetic acid-induced nociception test (p<0.05). These findings support the anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and analgesic properties of PEO. We suggest that PEO is a promising candidate for use in skin care products with anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.