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Nanoemulsion of Mentha arvensis Essential Oil as an Anticancer Agent in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells and as an Antibacterial Agent in Staphylococcus aureus
Date Issued
01-12-2021
Author(s)
Nirmala, M. Joyce
Durai, Latha
Anusha, Giddaluri Subhadra
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Abstract
The Mentha arvensis essential oil, due to its poor aqueous solubility and the lack of a proper formulation, has found very limited clinical use. In this study, Mentha oil nanoemulsion was formulated using ultrasonication of Mentha oil with tween 80 and water, and its role as a potential anticancer and antibacterial agent was evaluated. Surfactant concentration and emulsification time play an important role in optimization of nanoemulsions. A clear and stable nanoemulsion (M3C) with a droplet diameter in the nanometric range was obtained in a sonication time of 20 min. The anticancer activity of the nanoscale-based Mentha oil emulsion was evaluated by various cell culture techniques including MTT, colony formation assay, and Annexin V apoptotic assay. The result of Annexin V-FITC assay, marker of apoptosis, clearly displays the induction of early apoptosis in anaplastic/aggressive thyroid cancer cell line (HTh-7). Also, M3C demonstrated antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213). In addition, interaction of M3C with the pathogen caused structural changes in the lipid cell membrane of pathogen, with increased leakage of cytoplasmic contents as assessed through the absorbance value of 260 nm. Agar well diffusion, along with membrane integrity analysis, also validated the antimicrobial activity. The results of this translational research are expected to substantiate the potential for use of Mentha oil in therapeutic studies, as well as in anticancer and antibacterial therapy.
Volume
11