Melaleuca leucadendra Essential Oil Promotes Loss of Cell Membrane and Wall Integrity and Inhibits Bacterial Growth: An In Silico and In Vitro Approach.

Essential oils are potential antimicrobial agents and can be used as active ingredients in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries. This work intends to evaluate the antibacterial activity and design a strategy for the proposition of the mechanism of action of Melaleuca leucadendra essential oil. Optimum concentration of the bacteria and the phase where they had the highest pathogenic activity were determined.