Abstract
Essential oils are concentrated natural extracts derived from plants, which were proved to be good sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidative and antimicrobial properties. This study followed the effect of some commonly used essential oils in micellar and aqueous extract on some of the most common pathogenic bacteria. Frankincense, myrtle, thyme, lemon, oregano and lavender essential oils were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both micellar and aqueous extracts were used for determination of their minimal inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The most active oils were oregano, thyme, lemon and lavender, while the least active were frankincense and myrtle. Oregano oil presented up to 64 times lower MICs/MBCs than ethylic alcohol, if considered as standard, on all bacteria. Most susceptible bacteria were the Gram-positive cocci, including methicillin resistant S. aureus, while the most resistant was P. aeruginosa. With some exceptions, the best activity was achieved by micelles suspension of essential oils, with MICs and MBCs ranging from 0.1% to > 50% v/v. Only oregano and lavender aqueous extracts presented bactericidal activity and only on K. pneumoniae (MIC = 6.3%). Thyme, lemon and oregano oils present significantly lower overall average MICs for their micellar form than for their aqueous extracts. The present results may suggest some formulas of colloid or micelle suspensions of whole essential oils such as oregano, thyme or lemon oil, that may help in antimicrobial fight. Aqueous extracts of oregano or thyme oil with good antibacterial activity could also be used in selected cases.
Highlights
Essential oils, called volatile oils, are concentrated natural extracts derived from plants, which have been used as alternative medicines since the late twelfth century, and became more widespread in the second half of the sixteenth century
We show a good effect of some essential oils on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Frankincense, myrtle (Myrtus communis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), lemon (Citrus limon), oregano (Origanum vulgare) and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oils were acquired from specialty retailer shops
Summary
Called volatile oils, are concentrated natural extracts derived from plants, which have been used as alternative medicines since the late twelfth century, and became more widespread in the second half of the sixteenth century. The composition is complex and consists mostly of terpenes (mostly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes), terpenoids (oxygenated compounds such as phenols, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones or ethers) and aromatic compounds [2] Parts of these compounds are hydrophobic, but some parts are hydrosoluble. Antibacterial activity of essential oils presents an increasing interest in the last years and were shown to be effective even on multidrug resistant strains [11,12,13]. Many studies in the last years focused on the benefic properties of the essential oils, including antibacterial properties. This study was focused on the effect of some commonly used essential oils in our area on some of the most pathogenic bacteria, which were proved to be involved in both community-acquired and hospital-acquired infections [10,14,16]
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