The antibacterial activity of the volatile oils extracted from medicinal plants

Oprean, L. and Mărculescu, A. and Cristea, V. and Gaspar, E. (2007) The antibacterial activity of the volatile oils extracted from medicinal plants. Acta Alimentaria, 36 (3). pp. 303-309. ISSN 0139-3006

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Abstract

The volatile oils obtained from Thymus species (either cultivated or grown wild) show different antibacterial activities due to the phenol content of the volatile oil. The results obtained for the antibacterial activity of the volatile oils obtained from Thymus species on the pathogen Gram-positive bacteria Streptococcus haemolyticus , 2, Staphylococcus aureus 1, Diplococcus pneumoniae 3 show that volatile oils of T. marschallianus Wild, T. glabrescens Wild and T. pulegioides L. ssp. chamaedrys , having a high content of phenols, exert an antibacterial activity more powerful than volatile oils obtained from the culture of T. vulgaris L. species. From the Gram-positive bacteria studied, Diplococcus pneumoniae 3 shows the highest sensitivity to the volatile oils in the Thymus species and to the volatile oil’s components compared to Staphylococcus aureus 1, which is the most resistant. We here report on some volatile thyme oils with antimicrobial activities, which may act as antibiotic agents.

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