Omnia SanaSymptom → Plant Sources
Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and Wounds: evidence and sources
inferred from antimicrobial action
For educational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants, especially alongside prescribed medication, during pregnancy, or for a serious condition.
Carvacrol (CV) is a phenolic monoterpenoid found in essential oils of oregano (Origanum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), pepperwort (Lepidium flavum), wild bergamot (Citrus aurantium bergamia), and other plants. Carvacrol possesses a wide range of bioactivities putatively useful for clinical applications such antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Carvacrol antimicrobial activity is higher than that of other volatile compounds present in essential oils due to the presence of the free hydroxyl group, hydrophobicity, and the phenol moiety. The present review illustrates the state-of-the-art studies on the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of CV. It is particularly effective against food-borne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Bacillus cereus. Carvacrol has high antioxidant activity and has been successfully used, mainly associated with thymol, as dietary phytoadditive to improve animal antioxidant status. The anticancer properties of CV have been reported in preclinical models of breast, liver, and lung carcinomas, acting on proapoptotic processes. Besides the interesting properties of CV and the toxicological profile becoming definite, to date, human trials on CV are still lacking, and this largely impedes any conclusions of clinical relevance.
Origanum vulgare L. ( O. vulgare ) is an important medicinal herb of the family Lamiaceae. In the current study, we explained the critical evaluation of traditional uses, the phytochemistry and the antimicrobial properties of O. vulgare and its subspecies, with a focus on the mechanisms of actions of the most important phytochemicals from O. vulgare subspecies. The most important phytochemicals of O. vulgare are volatile (essential oil) and non-volatile phenolic compounds (phenolic acids & flavonoids). The constituents of the O. vulgare essential oil (EO) include high percentages of thymol and carvacrol with excellent antimicrobial activity alone or in combination with other antibiotics. Interesting results have been reported the remarkable antimicrobial activities of infusion or tea products of O. vulgare with a high amount of EO against multidrug-resistant bacterial and fungal microorganism (such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ). The most important antibacterial mechanisms of O. vulgare are enzyme inhibition, efflux pump inhibition, ATP depletion, biofilm formation inhibition and cytoplasmic membrane damage. The antimicrobial activity of the hirtum subspecies has been confirmed in different in-vitro and in-vivo studies. The present review confirms the clinical and preclinical research showing the O. vulgare and its subspecies antimicrobial effects.
2 sources supporting Oregano for Wounds. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's antimicrobial action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Oregano essential oil (OEO), as a natural antimicrobial, has gained increased interest from food researchers and manufacturers. However, a few studies have investigated its possible antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus using the proteomic tool. The present study aimed to explore the antibacterial effect and mechanism of a carvacrol-rich OEO extracted from Origanum vulgare "Hot & Spicy" on the inactivation of S. aureus . The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the OEO allowed the detection of 27 compounds; the major constituent was carvacrol (84.38% of total compounds). The average diameter of the inhibitory zone (DIZ) value was 29.10 mm, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of OEO against S. aureus were 0.125 and 0.25 mg/mL, respectively. The growth curve assay indicated that the OEO prolonged the lag phase of S. aureus . The decrease in cell viability, changes in the integrity of cell membrane, and abnormal cell morphology further reflected the cell damage of S. aureus caused by the OEO. In addition, a label-free proteomic analysis was applied to analyze the regulatory networks of S. aureus in response to 1/2 MIC OEO-treatment stress. Of the 56 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) identified, 26 were significantly upregulated and 30 downregulated. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the DEPs were mainly involved in pathways of ribosomes; valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis; and phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, which suggested that the growth inhibition of S. aureus might be due to the disordered effect of the OEO on protein synthesis and amino acid metabolism. These findings deepened our understanding regarding S. aureus survival and metabolism responses to the OEO treatment and suggested that the carvacrol-rich OEO could be used in food production environments to effectively control S. aureus.
The remarkable biological activities of oregano essential oils (EOs) have recently prompted a host of studies aimed at exploring their potential innovative applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The chemical composition and biological activities of EOs from two Origanum vulgare genotypes, widely cultivated in Sicily and not previously studied for their biological properties, were characterized. Plants of the two genotypes, belonging to the carvacrol (CAR) and thymol (THY) chemotypes and grown in different cultivation environments, were considered for this study. The chemical profiles, including the determination of enantiomeric distribution, of the EOs, obtained by hydrodistillation from dried leaves and flowers, were investigated by GC-MS. Biological activity was evaluated as antimicrobial properties against different pathogen indicator strains, while intestinal barrier integrity, reduction in pathogen adhesion and anti-inflammatory actions were assayed in the intestinal Caco-2 cell line. The chemical profile of the CAR genotype was less complex and characterized by higher levels of the most active compound, i.e., carvacrol, when compared to the THY genotype. The enantiomeric distribution of chiral constituents did not vary across genotypes, while being markedly different from that observed in Origanum vulgare genotypes from other geographical origins. In general, all EOs showed high antimicrobial activity, both in vitro and in a food matrix challenge test. Representative EOs from the two genotypes resulted not altering epithelial monolayer sealing only for concentrations lower than 0.02%, were able to reduce the adhesion of selected pathogens, but did not exert relevant anti-inflammatory effects. These results suggest their potential use as control agents against a wide spectrum of foodborne pathogens.
Essential oils (EOs) are plant mixtures that are known to present strong bioactivities, including a wide antimicrobial action. Biofilms are microbial sessile structures that represent the default mode of growth of microorganisms in most environments. This study focused on the antimicrobial action of the EO extracted from one of the most representative oregano species, that is, Origanum vulgare (subsp. hirtum ), against two important foodborne pathogens, Salmonella enterica (serovar Typhimurium) and Listeria monocytogenes . For this, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the EO against the planktonic and biofilm growth of each bacterium were determined (MICs, MBICs), together with the minimum bactericidal and biofilm eradication concentrations (MBCs, MBECs). The EO was also analyzed for its chemical composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). The influence of EO exposure on the expression of some important virulence genes ( hly , inlA , inlB and prfA ) was also studied in L. monocytogenes . Results revealed a strong antibacterial and antibiofilm action with MICs and MBICs ranging from 0.03% to 0.06% ( v / v ) and from 0.06% to 0.13% ( v / v ), respectively. The application of the EO at 6.25% ( v / v ) for 15 min resulted in the total eradication of the biofilm cells of both pathogens. The EO was mainly composed of thymol, p -cymene, γ -terpinene and carvacrol. The 3 h exposure of L. monocytogenes planktonic cells to the EO at its MBIC (0.06% v / v ) resulted in the significant downregulation of all the studied genes ( p < 0.05). To sum, the results obtained advocate for the further exploitation of the antimicrobial action of oregano EO in food and health applications.