Antimicrobial activity and acute and chronic toxicity of the essential oil of Lippia origanoides

Abstract

RESUMO.-[Atividade antimicrobiana, toxicidade aguda e crônica do óleo essencial de Lippia origanoides.]Atualmente nota-se um aumento do interesse pelas plantas medicinais, fruto da grande procura por terapias alternativas. Neste trabalho foi avaliada a atividade antimicrobiana e a toxicidade do óleo essencial da Lippia origanoides (alecrim-pimenta). O óleo essencial de alecrim-pimenta foi obtido por arraste com vapor d'água e seus constituintes foram identificados por cromatografia acoplada a espectrofotômetro de massa (GC/MS). Entre os 15 compostos identificados os mais abundantes foram o carvacrol (29%), o-cimeno (25,57%) e metil timol éter (11,50%). Os óleos foram submetidos a ensaios antimicrobianos para determinação da CIM e da CBM. Os resultados mostraram que a dose de 120μl/mL de qualquer um dos óleos testados foi eficiente em inibir o crescimento dos micro-organismos Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) Currently, there is a growing interest in medicinal plants, because of an increased demand for alternate therapies. In this study, the antimicrobial activity and toxicity of the essential oil of Lippia origanoides (L. origanoides) were investigated. The essential oil of L. origanoides was extracted by steam-dragging distillation and its constituents were identified by chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Among the 15 compounds identified, the most abundant were carvacrol (29.00%), o-cymene (25.57%), and thymol methyl ether (11.50%). The essential oil was studied in antimicrobial assays to determine the MIC and MBC. The results indicated that a concentration of 120μL/mL of oil was sufficient to inhibit the growth of the following microorganisms: Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Salmonella cholerasuis (ATCC 10708). Acute and chronic toxic effects of orally administered oil were investigated in Wistar rats by using standard methods. Doses of 30, 60 and 120mg/kg of the essential oil did not induce significant changes in weight, behavior or hematological and biochemical parameters in the animals. There were no signs of any histopathological changes to the liver, kidneys or heart of the treated rats, suggesting that Lippia origanoides oil is non--toxic after oral administration in acute or chronic toxicity studies. The results obtained in this study show that the essential oil of L. origanoides has a high safety margin, with no detectable toxic effects in rats treated with doses to 120mg/kg. In addition, L. origanoides oil demonstrated potent antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli and S. cholerasuis. Based on these findings, this essential oil may have practical application as a veterinary antimicrobial.INDEX TERMS: Lippia origanoides, essential oil, antimicrobial, acute toxicity, chronic toxicity.

Antibacterial action against food-borne microorganisms and antioxidant activity of carvacrol-rich oil from Lippia origanoides Kunth

“…In the other doses tested, no change was observed in the physiological or behavioral parameters. In a previous study, physiological or behavioral changes in mice were not observed, after oral administration of the oil at doses of 30, 60 and 120 mg kg −1 [ 41 ].…”

Atividade antisséptica do óleo essencial de Lippia origanoides Cham. (Alecrim-pimenta) na presença de leite bovino

“…A sinergia entre os compostos dos óleos essenciais na atividade antimicrobiana é citada na literatura devido ao fato de o óleo essencial ser uma mistura de compostos muito complexa. Andrade et al (2014) citaram em seus resultados que possivelmente, a combinação de p-cimeno, em alta concentração, juntamente com o timol e carvacrol possam contribuir com a ação antimicrobiana do óleo de alecrim pimenta. Guimarães et al (2014) concluíram que a atividade antimicrobiana de óleo essencial de alecrim pimenta foi superior à ação do composto carvacrol isoladamente, indicando que a ação conjunta dos componentes do óleo possam potencializar a atividade antimicrobiana, quando analisaram bactérias Gram positivas e Gram negativas.…”

Antioxidant activity of essential oils from condiment plants and their effect on lactic cultures and pathogenic bacteria

“…The leaves of C. citratus and L. alba plants cultivated in the Medicinal Plant Garden of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Federal University of Minas Gerais (ICA/UFMG) were used for essential oil extraction based on the steamdragging distillation technique, which was applied in a pilot distiller (Linax ® , model D20, SP, Brazil). The oil was separated from the hydrolyte through liquidliquid partitioning and, after 3 hours of extraction, it was removed with a micropipette and stored in sterile amber glass vials at 4-8°C (ANDRADE et al, 2014). The essential oil from S. aromaticum was provided by Ferquima (Vargem Paulista, SP, Brazil).…”