AU - Rahimifard, N AU - Hajimehdipoor, H AU - Hedayati, MH AU - Bagheri, O AU - Pishehvar, H AU - Ajani, Y TI - Cytotoxic Effects of Essential Oils and Extracts of some Mentha species on Vero, Hela and Hep2 Cell Lines PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE TA - jmpir JN - jmpir VO - 9 VI - 35 IP - 35 4099 - http://jmp.ir/article-1-270-fa.html 4100 - http://jmp.ir/article-1-270-fa.pdf SO - jmpir 35 AB  - Background: 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. Objective: In this study, cytotoxic properties of Mentha piperita, M. spicata, M. aquatica, M. crispa, M. pulegium and M. longifolia have been investigated. Methods: Different concentrations of essential oils and total extracts of six Mentha species were tested by MTT assay against Vero, Hep2 and Hela cell lines. Results: The results showed that all samples were toxic against Vero, Hela and Hep2 cell lines (IC50 28.1-166.2 µg/ml). Conclusion: All examined Mentha species extracts and essential oils have cytotoxic effects but some of them could be considered as potent toxic agents. CP - IRAN IN - Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center and Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Tel & Fax: +98 – 21 - 88776027 LG - eng PB - jmpir PG - 88 PT - Research YR - 2010