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Essential Oil of the Plants: Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, and Biological Applications

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A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant-Derived Antibiotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 9609

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luis Alberto Ortega-Ramirez

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Estatal de Sonora, San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
Interests: natural additives; plant byproducts; essential oils; antibacterial; antibiofilms; food additives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jesus Fernando Ayala-Zavala

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Guest Editor

Emerging Technologies Laboratory, Food and Development Research Center (CIAD), Hermosillo, Mexico
Interests: bioactive compounds from plants; food quality and safety; bioactivity; plant secondary metabolites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antibiotics are about to launch a Special Issue dedicated to research related to the potential use of essential oils or their major components obtained from plants, highlighting their chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and biological applications. Essential oils are oily aromatic liquids obtained from different parts of plants (flowers, seeds, leaves, bark, shoots, herbs, fruits, and roots), a large part of them are made up of a variable mixture of terpenoids, derived from their secondary metabolism. In traditional medicine, they have been used as stomachic, antispasmodic, carminative, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, and antihypertensive agents, even as insecticides, among other traditional applications. In this Special Issue, we are interested in research that highlights the variety of compounds present in essential oils and demonstrates their biological activities through in vivo and in vitro studies using innovative methods and technologies.

Dr. Luis Alberto Ortega-Ramirez
Dr. Jesus Fernando Ayala-Zavala
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

natural compounds
antimicrobials
antibiofilms
antioxidants
antivirulence factors
mode of action
antiproliferative
citotoxicty

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 975 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antibacterial Activity of Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) Essential Oil Vapors against Microbial Contaminants of Food-Contact Surfaces

by Loris Pinto, Salvatore Cervellieri, Thomas Netti, Vincenzo Lippolis and Federico Baruzzi

Antibiotics 2024, 13(4), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13040371 - 18 Apr 2024

Viewed by 981

Abstract

The antimicrobial effect of eight essential oils’ vapors against pathogens and spoilage bacteria was assayed. Oreganum vulgare L. essential oil (OVO) showed a broad antibacterial effect, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values ranging from 94 to 754 µg cm⁻³ air, depending on the bacterial species. Then, gaseous OVO was used for the treatment of stainless steel, polypropylene, and glass surfaces contaminated with four bacterial pathogens at 6–7 log cfu coupon⁻¹. No viable cells were found after OVO treatment on all food-contact surfaces contaminated with all pathogens, with the exception of Sta. aureus DSM 799 on the glass surface. The antimicrobial activity of OVO after the addition of beef extract as a soiling agent reduced the Sta. aureus DSM 799 viable cell count by more than 5 log cfu coupon⁻¹ on polypropylene and glass, while no viable cells were found in the case of stainless steel. HS-GC-MS analysis of the headspace of the boxes used for the antibacterial assay revealed 14 different volatile compounds with α-Pinene (62–63%), and p-Cymene (21%) as the main terpenes. In conclusion, gaseous OVO could be used for the microbial decontamination of food-contact surfaces, although its efficacy needs to be evaluated since it depends on several parameters such as target microorganisms, food-contact material, temperature, time of contact, and relative humidity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential Oil of the Plants: Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, and Biological Applications)

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15 pages, 3290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antifungal Activity of Thirty Essential Oils to Control Pathogenic Fungi of Postharvest Decay

by Mohamed Bechir Allagui, Marwa Moumni and Gianfranco Romanazzi

Antibiotics 2024, 13(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13010028 - 28 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1522

Abstract

Essential oils (EOs) extracted from aromatic or medicinal plants are biodegradable, safe, and regarded as alternatives to chemical pesticides to reduce fungal species attacking different crops. In this study, thirty EOs at 0.5 mg/mL were evaluated for in vitro growth inhibition of the main postharvest fungi, which are Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, and Penicillium italicum. Cinnamomum verrum EO completely inhibited the mycelial growth of A. alternata and B. cinerea, and Syzygium aromaticum EO completely inhibited the mycelia of A. alternata. B. cinerea mycelial growth was completely inhibited by Gautheria fragrantissima, Cymbopogon nardus, Pelargonium asperum, and Cupressus sempervirens EOs. G. fragrantissima EO inhibited the mycelia growth of P. italicum by 98%. Overall, B. cinerea displayed the highest sensitivity to EOs than P. italicum and A. alternata. G. fragrantissima, C. sempervirens, C. nardus, P. asperum, Mentha piperita, Foeniculum vulgare, C. verrum, and S. aromaticum EOs showed the highest inhibition for these three pathogens. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were lower for C. verrum and S. aromaticum EOs, ranging between 0.31 and 0.45 mg/mL and 0.37 to 0.57 mg/mL, respectively, against the three pathogens. The tested EOs inhibited the in vitro growth of three of the main postharvest fungal pathogens. Further studies are needed to confirm these activities in vivo. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential Oil of the Plants: Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, and Biological Applications)

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20 pages, 10519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Untargeted Metabolomics for Unraveling the Metabolic Changes in Planktonic and Sessile Cells of Salmonella Enteritidis ATCC 13076 after Treatment with Lippia origanoides Essential Oil

by Yuliany Guillín, Marlon Cáceres, Elena E. Stashenko, William Hidalgo and Claudia Ortiz

Antibiotics 2023, 12(5), 899; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12050899 - 12 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1872

Abstract

Nontyphoidal Salmonella species are one of the main bacterial causes of foodborne diseases, causing a public health problem. In addition, the ability to form biofilms, multiresistance to traditional drugs, and the absence of effective therapies against these microorganisms are some of the principal reasons for the increase in bacterial diseases. In this study, the anti-biofilm activity of twenty essential oils (EOs) on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis ATCC 13076 was evaluated, as well as the metabolic changes caused by Lippia origanoides thymol chemotype EO (LOT-II) on planktonic and sessile cells. The anti-biofilm effect was evaluated by the crystal violet staining method, and cell viability was evaluated through the XTT method. The effect of EOs was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Untargeted metabolomics analyses were conducted to determine the effect of LOT-II EO on the cellular metabolome. LOT-II EO inhibited S. Enteritidis biofilm formation by more than 60%, without decreasing metabolic activity. Metabolic profile analysis identified changes in the modulation of metabolites in planktonic and sessile cells after LOT-II EO treatment. These changes showed alterations in different metabolic pathways, mainly in central carbon metabolism and nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Finally, the possible mechanism of action of L. origanoides EO is proposed based on a metabolomics approach. Further studies are required to advance at the molecular level on the cellular targets affected by EOs, which are promising natural products for developing new therapeutic agents against Salmonella sp. strains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential Oil of the Plants: Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, and Biological Applications)

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21 pages, 1885 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metabolomic Analysis of the Effect of Lippia origanoides Essential Oil on the Inhibition of Quorum Sensing in Chromobacterium violaceum

by Marlon Cáceres, William Hidalgo, Elena E. Stashenko, Rodrigo Torres and Claudia Ortiz

Antibiotics 2023, 12(5), 814; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12050814 - 26 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1853

Abstract

Bacteria can communicate through quorum sensing, allowing them to develop different survival or virulence traits that lead to increased bacterial resistance against conventional antibiotic therapy. Here, fifteen essential oils (EOs) were investigated for their antimicrobial and anti-quorum-sensing activities using Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 as a model. All EOs were isolated from plant material via hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC/MS. In vitro antimicrobial activity was determined using the microdilution technique. Subinhibitory concentrations were used to determine anti-quorum-sensing activity by inhibition of violacein production. Finally, a possible mechanism of action for most bioactive EOs was determined using a metabolomic approach. Among the EOs evaluated, the EO from Lippia origanoides exhibited antimicrobial and anti-quorum activities at 0.37 and 0.15 mg/mL, respectively. Based on the experimental results, the antibiofilm activity of EO can be attributed to the blockage of tryptophan metabolism in the metabolic pathway of violacein synthesis. The metabolomic analyses made it possible to see effects mainly at the levels of tryptophan metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, arginine metabolism and vitamin biosynthesis. This allows us to highlight the EO of L. origanoides as a promising candidate for further studies in the design of antimicrobial compounds against bacterial resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential Oil of the Plants: Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, and Biological Applications)

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Review

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31 pages, 2538 KiB

Open AccessReview

Mechanisms and Applications of Citral’s Antimicrobial Properties in Food Preservation and Pharmaceuticals Formulations

by María Melissa Gutiérrez-Pacheco, Heriberto Torres-Moreno, María Liliana Flores-Lopez, Norma Velázquez Guadarrama, J. Fernando Ayala-Zavala, Luis Alberto Ortega-Ramírez and Julio César López-Romero

Antibiotics 2023, 12(11), 1608; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12111608 - 9 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2538

Abstract

Citral is a monoterpene constituted by two isomers known as neral and geranial. It is present in different plant sources and recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In recent years, investigations have demonstrated that this compound exhibited several biological activities, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antibiofilm, antiparasitic, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, by in vitro and in vivo assays. Additionally, when incorporated into different food matrices, citral can reduce the microbial load of pathogenic microorganisms and extend the shelf life. This compound has acceptable drug-likeness properties and does not present any violations of Lipinski’s rules, which could be used for drug development. The above shows that citral could be a compound of interest for developing food additives to extend the shelf life of animal and vegetable origin foods and develop pharmaceutical products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential Oil of the Plants: Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, and Biological Applications)

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