Is the Antimicrobial Activity of Hydrolates Lower than That of Essential Oils?

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 88
• Main Authors: Di Vito, Maura, Smolka, Antonina, Proto, Maria Rita, Barbanti, Lorenzo, Gelmini, Fabrizio, Napoli, Edoardo, Bellardi, Maria Grazia, Mattarelli, Paola, Beretta, Giangiacomo, Sanguinetti, Maurizio, Bugli, Francesca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-01-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Allelochemicals; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Brief Report; Chemical composition; Chromatography; Dermatitis; Dilution; Drug resistance; Essential oils; Fungi; Gas chromatography; Infections; Lavandula angustifolia; Lavandula intermedia; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medical treatment; Microorganisms; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Monarda didyma; Monarda fistulosa; Natural products; Oils & fats; Origanum hirtum; Plant extracts; Satureja montana; Skin; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus infections; Strains (organisms); Streptococcus infections; Volatiles; Monarda fistulosa; Monarda didyma; Satureja montana; Lavandula intermedia; Lavandula angustifolia; Origanum hirtum
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10010088

Among the top five human infections requiring medical treatment is dermatitis. Treatment of bacterial and fungal skin infections is usually based on antibiotic therapy, which is often ineffective due to the involvement of antibiotic-resistant microbial strains. The aim of this study was to compare the antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) and hydrolates (Hys) extracted from six aromatic plants grown in Italy (
and
) towards fungal (
,
,
and
;
,
,
,
and
) and bacterial strains (
MRSA,
MSSA,
,
VRE, and
) potentially pathogenic for human skin. The composition and antimicrobial activity of EOs and Hys were evaluated using the Gas-chromatography mass spectrometry and micro dilution-broth test, respectively. The volatiles' conversion factors (CFs) were calculated to compare the activity of Hys with that of the corresponding EOs. Data show that, although the minimum inhibitory concentration values of EOs are lower than the corresponding Hys, the volatiles contained in Hys are more effective at inhibiting microbial growth because they are active at lower concentrations.