USING ESSENTIAL OILS TO COMBAT THE THREAT OF MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT BACTERIA, PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA

Jenies Grullon; James P. Mack; Albert Rojtman

doi:10.22159/ijpps.2016v8i12.13564

Authors

Jenies Grullon Department of Biology, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ, 2Department of Pathology, Meridian Health, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6269-6363
James P. Mack Department of Biology, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ, 2Department of Pathology, Meridian Health, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ
Albert Rojtman Department of Biology, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ, 2Department of Pathology, Meridian Health, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ijpps.2016v8i12.13564

Keywords:

Essential oils, Multi-drug resistant, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Cinnamon, Cassia, Methylglyoxal, Antibiotic resistance

Abstract

Objective: The development of antibiotics was a revolutionary scientific discovery and medical advancement that greatly extended the life expectancy of mankind. Through less than 100 y of using antibiotics to treat infectious bacteria, some of these highly adaptive organisms have developed resistance to the drugs. The healthcare field is greatly concerned with the threat of many common infections that have been considered treatable for decades, regaining its ability to be severely fatal; thus, making alternative treatments currently in high demand. This study concentrated on investigating an alternative treatment for a specific gram-negative bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), a resistance-gaining bacteria that commonly infects hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems and/or open wounds.

Methods: Prior to the age of modern medicine, human beings relied on nature for medicinal treatments. In our research, we focused on determining the in vitro efficacy of using the essential oils, cassia and cinnamon bark, their major component, cinnamaldehyde, as well as the major component of manuka honey, methylglyoxal, as an alternative treatment against P. aeruginosa We tested cassia, cinnamon bark, cinnamaldehyde, and methylglyoxal using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method; the diameter of the zone of inhibition for each treated bacterial sample was measured and compared with the standard antibiotic treatments, tobramycin, and amikacin.

Results: This study showed that the selected essential oils, cinnamaldehyde, and methylglyoxal were as effective or better in inhibiting the growth of P. aeruginosa compared to the standard aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Conclusion: The tested essential oils, cinnamaldehyde, and methylglyoxal may be useful as an alternative treatment for infections caused by P. aeruginosa and may also provide communities where antibiotics are not readily available, a cost-effective way to treat this infectious disease.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Nazzaro F, Fratianni F, De Martino L, Coppola RC, De Feo V. Effect of essential oils on pathogenic bacteria. Pharmaceuticals 2013;6:1451-74.

Boire NA, Riedel S, Parrish NM. Essential oils and future antibiotics: new weapons against emerging 'superbugs? J Ancient Diseases Preventive Remedies 2013;2:1-4.

CDC. Antibiotic resistance threats in the united states. U. S. Dep Health Hum Serv Cent Dis Ctrl and Prev; 2013. p. 1-27.

Zaffiri L, Gardner J, Toledo-Pereyra LH. History of antibiotics. From salvarsan to cephalosporins. J Inv Sur 2012;25:67.

Davies J, Davies D. Origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance. Am Soc Microbiol 2010;74:417-33.

Anil C, Shahid RM. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of pseudomonas aerugionsa clinical isolates at a tertiary care hospital in Katahmandu, Nepal. Asian J Pharam Clin Res 2013;6:235-7.

The White House. National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria. Washington, DC. The Center for Disease Control; 2015. p. 1-2.

Qureshi WK, Palayekar V, Dayan E, Mack J, Rojtman A. Combating the antibiotic resistance threat. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci 2015;7:68-72.

National Center for Infectious Diseases [Internet]. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US). Pseudomonas aeruginosa in healthcare settings; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/pseudomonas.html. [Last accessed on 17 Feb 2015].

Moore D [Internet]. Antibiotic classification and mechanism. Available from: http://dev.orthobullets.com/basic-science/9059/ antibiotic-classification-and-mechanism. [Last accessed on 27 Jul 2015].

Planquette B, Timsit JF, Misset BY, Schwebel C, Azoulay E. Pseudomonas aeruginosa ventilator-associated pneumonia: predictive factors of treatment failure. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2013;118:69-76.

Cooper RA, Halas E, Molan PC. The efficacy of honey in inhibiting strains of pseudomonas aeruginosa infected burns. J Burn Care Rehabil 2002;23:366-70.

Kavanaugh NL, Ribbeck K. Selecter antimicrobial essential oils eradicate pseudomonas spp. and staphylococcus aeureus biofilms. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012;78:4057-61.

Lawless, J. The illustrated encyclopedia of essential oils: The complete guide to the use of oils in aromatherapy and herbalism. New York: Barnes and Noble; 1995.

Bauer AW, Kirby WM, Sherris JC, Turck M. Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single disk method. Am J Clin Pathol 1966;45:493-6.

Santhanamari T, Meenakshi PR, Velayutham S. In vitro antibacterial activity of extracts of lawsonia inermis and punica granatum against clinically isolaticed antiobiotic resistant pseudomonas aeuruginosa and staphylococcus aureus. Asian J Pharm Clin Res 2011;4:62-4.