Antibacterial Activity of Terpenes and Terpenoids Present in Essential Oils.

The antimicrobial activity of essential oils has been reported in hundreds of studies, however, the great majority of these studies attribute the activity to the most prevalent compounds without analyzing them independently. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the antibacterial activity of 33 free terpenes commonly found in essential oils and evaluate the cellular ultrastructure to verify possible damage to the cellular membrane. Screening was performed to select substances with possible antimicrobial activity, then the minimal inhibitory concentrations, bactericidal activity and 24-h time-kill curve studies were evaluated by standard protocols.

Effects of β-caryophyllene and Murraya paniculata essential oil in the murine hepatoma cells and in the bacteria and fungi 24-h time-kill curve studies.

Context: Orange Jessamine [Murraya paniculata L. (Rutaceae)] has been used worldwide in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and analgesic.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the in vitro antioxidant, cytotoxic, antibacterial and antifungal activity and the time-kill curve studies of orange jessamine essential oil and β-caryophyllene, as well as the chemical composition of the essential oil.