title: Chemical composition, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial and antifungal activity of several essential oils.
abstract: Essential oils (EOs) are known and used for their biological, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Numerous studies have shown that EOs exhibit a large spectrum of biological activities in vitro. The incidence of drug-resistant pathogens and the toxicity of antibiotics have drawn attention to the antimicrobial activity of natural products, encouraging the development of alternative treatments. The aim of this study was to analyse the phytochemical and the cytotoxic characteristic of 36 EOs; we then evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the less-toxic EOs on Gram-positive, Gram-negative and fungi strains. The results showed low cytotoxicity in seven EOs and good activity against Gram-negative and Candida spp. strains. Based on our results, EOs could be proposed as a novel group of therapeutic agents. Further experiments are necessary to confirm their pharmacological effectiveness, and to determine potential toxic effects and the mechanism of their activity in in vivo models.
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Microbiologia Sperimentale e Clinica , Università degli Studi di Sassari , viale San Pietro 43/b, 07100 Sassari , Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cannas
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Microbiologia Sperimentale e Clinica , Università degli Studi di Sassari , viale San Pietro 43/b, 07100 Sassari , Italy.
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Usai
authors.affiliation: b Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita , Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia , Via Campi 183, 41125 Modena , Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tardugno
authors.affiliation: b Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita , Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia , Via Campi 183, 41125 Modena , Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benvenuti
authors.affiliation: b Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita , Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia , Via Campi 183, 41125 Modena , Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pellati
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Microbiologia Sperimentale e Clinica , Università degli Studi di Sassari , viale San Pietro 43/b, 07100 Sassari , Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zanetti
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Microbiologia Sperimentale e Clinica , Università degli Studi di Sassari , viale San Pietro 43/b, 07100 Sassari , Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Molicotti
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile
keywords: antifungal activity; antimicrobial activity; chemical composition; cytotoxicity; essential oil