In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Thymus vulgaris Essential Oil Against Major Oral Pathogens

J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017 Oct;22(4):660-666. doi: 10.1177/2156587217700772. Epub 2017 Apr 11.

Abstract

The objective of present investigation was to determine antimicrobial activity of Thymus vulgaris oil on some oral pathogens. Thymus vulgaris oil was prepared by hydrodistillation and tested against 30 clinical isolates of each of Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, prepared from related oral infections using agar disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods. Thymus vulgaris oil at concentrations of 16 to 256 μg/mL exhibited strong inhibitory activity on all clinical isolates producing inhibition zones of 7.5 to 42 mm as measured by agar disk diffusion method. Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus mutans were the most sensitive isolates with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 1.9 and 3.6 μg/mL, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration values for C albicans, A actinomycetemcomitans, and P gingivalis were 16.3, 32, and 32 μg/mL, respectively.

Keywords: Candida albicans; Streptococcus pyogenes; Thymus vulgaris.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology*
  • Candida albicans / drug effects
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Mouth / microbiology*
  • Oils, Volatile / pharmacology*
  • Porphyromonas gingivalis / drug effects
  • Streptococcus mutans / drug effects
  • Streptococcus pyogenes / drug effects
  • Thymus Plant / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Oils, Volatile