Antimicrobial Spectrum of Titroleane™: A New Potent Anti-Infective Agent

Abstract

<jats:p>Tea Tree oil (TTO) is well known for its numerous good properties but might be also irritating or toxic when used topically or ingested, thus limiting the number of possible applications in Humans. The aim of the study was to characterize the antimicrobial spectrum as well as the toxicity of Titroleane™, a new anti-infective agent obtained from TTO but cleared of its toxic monoterpenes part. The susceptibility to Titroleane™ of various pathogens (bacteria and fungi) encountered in animal and human health was studied in comparison with that of TTO. Antimicrobial screening was carried out using the broth microdilution method. Activities against aerobic, anaerobic, fastidious and non-fastidious microorganisms were performed. For all microorganisms tested, the MIC values for Titroleane™ ranged from 0.08% to 2.5%, except for Campylobacter jejuni, and Aspergillus niger. In particular, Titroleane™ showed good efficacy against skin and soft tissue infection pathogens, such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), intra-abdominal infections and oral pathogens, as well as fish farming pathogens. Toxicity testing showed little and similar cytotoxicities between TTO and Titroleane™ of 37% and 23%, respectively at a concentration of 0.025% (v/v). Finally, we demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity of Titroleane™ is similar to that of TTO.</jats:p>

First Evidence of a Combination of Terpinen-4-ol and α-Terpineol as a Promising Tool against ESKAPE Pathogens

“…It was previously shown that a commercial fraction of TTO named Titroleane™ exhibits a similar antimicrobial activity to TTO, although it was depleted from its monoterpenes which were expected to be the most important antimicrobial molecules in TTO [ 7 ]. We investigated the role of some major compounds of Titroleane™ to maintain the antibacterial activity.…”

“…Table 1 summarizes results of MICs for terpinen-4-ol and α-terpineol in % (v:v), mM and mg/mL. As percentage as a concentration unit is commonly used for essential oils and their compounds, this unit is used in the rest of the article [ 7 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 37 ].…”

“…In addition to its beneficial effects, TTO might also be irritating or toxic. We previously described a process for the fractionation of TTO, to separate toxic molecules from beneficial ones [ 7 ]. Interestingly, antimicrobial activity was maintained between TTO and the detoxified extract named Titroleane™.…”

“…As mentioned above, we have previously demonstrated that our detoxified extract from tea tree oil (i.e., Titroleane™) maintained the same antibacterial activity as the original product, on a wide range of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant ones [ 7 ]. Moreover, as terpinen-4-ol and α-terpineol are the two main compounds retrieved in Titroleane™, we then decided to focus on the antibacterial properties of a combination of these two molecules.…”

Antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of some plant essential oils and synergistic effects of cinnamon essential oil with vancomycin against Clostridioides difficile: in vitro study

“…Therefore, it was thought that the antimicrobial effect was due to this substance. Johansen et al (2020) also investigated the antimicrobial activity of tea tree essential oil against C. difficile and C. sporogenes. When the results were compared with those of Johansen et al's study, although the percentages of the active ingredients 4terpineol and Ɣ-terpinene were similar, they determined lower MIC values than our values.…”