CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF MENTHA PIPERITA L. GROWING IN MOROCCO

In this study the chemical composition and oral acute toxicity of the essential oil of Mentha piperita L. growing in Morocco were investigated. The volatile extract was isolated using hydro-distillation technique followed by continuous liquid-liquid fractionation (Water / Ethyl acetate). The essential oil was then analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The major compounds which characterized the essential oil of this plant were linalool (1) (60.72 %) and its acetate (2) (20.79 %), as well as geraniol (3) (3.26 %), 1,8-cineol (4) (2.33 %) and limonene (5) (1.54%). The acute toxicity of Mentha piperita L. oil was investigated in mice. The total essential oil in form of suspension in water with Tween 80 was tested by gavage. Acute toxicity evaluation of this essential oil showed a mortality percentage of 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, 100 for the doses 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 mg/kg body weight of mice,