ACTA FAC MED NAISS 2019;36(3):219-228

Original article

UDC: 582.929.4:665.52]:615.281

DOI: 10.5937/afmnai1903220I

Antibacterial Activity of Origanum Compactum Essential Oil Tested on Vaginal and Cervical Clinical Bacterial Strains

Merima Ibišević¹, Darja Husejnagić², Radmila Kazanović³, Ivana Arsić⁴

¹University of Tuzla, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
²University of Tuzla, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Biology, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
³Pharmacy Rosić, Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
⁴University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, Niš, Serbia

summary


Origanum compactum (O. compactum) is an endemic Moroccan medicinal herb. Numerous studies have shown that O. compactum organic extracts, essential oil and its main components possess a broader spectrum of pharmacological and therapeutic activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and antitumour activity. This research was designed to examine the antibacterial activity of O. compactum essential oil tested on clinical bacterial strains isolated from vaginal and cervical swabs. First, antibacterial activity was tested against standard bacterial cultures: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 51299, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and after that on clinical strains. For testing the antibacterial activity, agar diffusion and microdilution methods were used. The inhibition zones (IZ) for standard bacterial cultures were from 31.0 ± 0.57 mm to 35.0 ± 1.15 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentracion (MIC) for essential oil was tested using the broth dilution method. The values were in the range of 0.098 mg/ml – 1.562 mg/ml. O. compactum essential oil provided strong antibacterial activity for all tested microorganisms. The antibacterial activity of essential oil depends largely on the main components: carvacrol and thymol. Clinical isolates, which are more resistant in comparison with laboratory strains, are almost equally sensible to O. compactum essential oil. This essential oil could be an ideal replacement for conventional antimicrobial products, especially if we consider the increasing resistance to implemented antibiotics. In the future, O. compactum essential oil could be an option in the treatment of gynecological infections.

Key words: Origanum compactum, carvacrol, antibacterial activity, clinical isolates