Antibacterial Activity of Herbal Essential Oils against Gram-positive and Gram-negative Bacteria with a Potential for Multidrug Resistance

Abdulah Y. Al-Mahdi ¹, Alabed Ali A. Alabed ², Hana W. Jun Chen¹, Mohammed Faez Baobaid ¹, Sakina Ruhi ¹, Jegathambigai Rameshwar Naidu ¹, Mukti Nor Ashikeen ¹, Husni Ahmed Abdullah Al-Goshae ¹, Imad I. Al-Sultan¹, Mahfoud A.M. Abdulghani ¹, Abusif Sonousi ³, Elan Selvi Anandan ⁴, Belqes Hamood Serag ⁵

This research showed that essential oils derived from medicinal plants are antibiotic-resistant by exhibiting strong antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens, suggesting potential alternative options against antibiotic resistance.

Abstract

Background: In recent years, there has been an extensive and great interest in researching and developing alternative antibacterial agents from various sources to combat bacterial resistance. Therefore, greater attention has been paid to the screening of antibacterial activity. Aims: This study evaluated different types of herbal essential oil to inhibit the growth of selected human pathogenic bacteria with potential multidrug resistance properties. Methodology: The herbal essential oils used include thyme oil, tea tree oil, bergamot oil and lavender oil against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Antibacterial screening of all the essential oils was done by disk diffusion method. Results: Herbal essential oils have exhibited a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities against the selected microbes: B. subtilis, S. aureus and E. coli. Thyme oil has the most potential antibacterial properties for B. subtilis(40 mm), followed by S. aureus(35 mm) and E. coli(35 mm). Both bergamot and lavender oils showed higher antibacterial effects for E. coli and B. subtilis but have lower efficacy with S. aureus than tea tree oil. Conclusion: The herbal essential oils used in this study can serve as a source of alternative antibacterial agents and may play an important role in the discovery of new drugs for the treatment of a wide range of pathogenic bacteria in the future.

Keywords:  Antibacterial activity; Bacillus subtilis; Staphylococcus aureus; Escherichia coli; essential oils; herbs; thyme; tea tree; lavender; bergamot

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