Facing Resistant Bacteria with Plant Essential Oils: Reviewing the Oregano Case

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) 2022-12, Vol.11 (12), p.1777
• Main Authors: Fimbres-García, Jorge O, Flores-Sauceda, Marcela, Othon-Díaz, Elsa Daniela, García-Galaz, Alfonso, Tapia-Rodríguez, Melvin R, Silva-Espinoza, Brenda A, Ayala-Zavala, Jesus F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibacterial activity; antibacterial resistance; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial peptides; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Biofilms; Carvacrol; co-cultures; Drug resistance; Drug resistance in microorganisms; Enzymes; Epidemiology; ESKAPE group; Essences and essential oils industry; Essential oils; Expulsion; Health aspects; Lippia graveolens; Morbidity; Mortality; Nosocomial infections; Oils & fats; Oregano; Pathogens; Peptides; Phages; Pneumonia; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Review; Salmonella; synergism; Terpenes; Urogenital system; β Lactamase
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11121777

Antibiotic resistance is a serious global threat, and the misuse of antibiotics is considered its main cause. It is characterized by the expression of bacterial defense mechanisms, e.g., β-lactamases, expulsion pumps, and biofilm development. and are antibiotic-resistant species that cause high morbidity and mortality. Several alternatives are proposed to defeat antibiotic resistance, including antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophages, and plant compounds. Terpenes from different plant essential oils have proven antimicrobial action against pathogenic bacteria, and evidence is being generated about their effect against antibiotic-resistant species. That is the case for oregano essential oil ( ), whose antibacterial effect is widely attributed to carvacrol, its main component; however, minor constituents could have an important contribution. The analyzed evidence reveals that most antibacterial evaluations have been performed on single species; however, it is necessary to analyze their activity against multispecies systems. Hence, another alternative is using plant compounds to inactivate hydrolytic enzymes and biofilms to potentiate antibiotics' effects. Despite the promising results of plant terpenes, more extensive and deep mechanistic studies are needed involving antibiotic-resistant multispecies to understand their full potential against this problem.