RESUMO
In vitro tests could be a valuable tool for the evaluation of medicinal plants' cytotoxicity. One of the most frequently used Iranian traditional plants is Mentha Pulegium from Labiatae family. In the present study, essential oil and the methanolic extract of Mentha pulegium, were analyzed for cytotoxicity on human ovary adenocarcinoma SK-OV-3, human malignant cervix carcinoma Hela, and human lung carcinoma A549 cell lines. Two different assays of clonogenic and neutral red [NR] were used for evaluation of cytotoxicity. Although the methanolic extract of Mentha pulegium did not show any cytotoxic effects, the essential oil of this plant proved to be a potent cytotoxic agent on the above three cell lines. According to the clonogenic assay, LD50s of the essential oil on SK-OV-3, Hela and A549 cell lines are 14.10, 59.10 and 18.76 micro g/ml, respectively. Our findings suggest that Mentha pulegium essential oil might be considered as a potentially toxic agent on human cancer cell lines, and a possible candidate for human cancer chemotherapy. However, further biological tests on the efficacy and side effects of this plant are necessary before its use in human