Due to global overuse of antibiotics, some bacteria have evolved to become resistant to drugs normally used to treat their respective bacterial infections. Since traditional antibiotics are ineffective to treat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, alternative methods are sought to combat the emergence of these bacteria. One such method is the use of natural products derived from plants to effectively inhibit the growth of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Essential oils from plants are known to be highly potent and have natural antibacterial properties that may be useful to treat infections due to drug resistant bacteria. In this study, two highly potent essential oils, cassia and cinnamon bark, and the aldehyde methylglyoxal (the main active antibacterial ingredient in Manuka Honey) were used in conjunction with three carrier oils (olive oil, jojoba oil, and lanolin) to determine their efficacy in inhibiting the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a multidrug-resistant bacterium.Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative, aerobic, and coccobacillus bacterium that infects open airways and wounds. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections have become a serious problem for patients who have weakened immune systems. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used to test the efficacy of the essential oil and carrier oil mixtures. The essential oils used were diluted to lower concentrations with carrier oils to determine their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) as essential oils can be irritating if used independently. The results were compared to colistin, which is an antibiotic normally used to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The essential oils and methylglyoxal were diluted and tested at 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 12.5% concentrations in carrier oils. The results were compared to the colistin for relative effectiveness. It was determined that at a 50% concentration, the essential oils and methylglyoxal were more effective than colistin in inhibiting the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Petri dish experiments. The results show a potential topical treatment that can be used in health care facilities to effectively treat infections caused by this bacterium.

Inhibiting effect of essential oils and methylglyoxal with carrier oils on the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

254th National Meeting (2017)

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