2. Academic Validation
  3. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of thymol: A brief review of the literature

Antibacterial and antifungal activities of thymol: A brief review of the literature

  • Food Chem. 2016 Nov 1;210:402-14. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.04.111.
Anna Marchese 1,  Ilkay Erdogan Orhan 2,  Maria Daglia 3,  Ramona Barbieri 1,  Arianna Di Lorenzo 3,  Seyed Fazel Nabavi 4,  Olga Gortzi 5,  Morteza Izadi 6,  Seyed Mohammad Nabavi 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Microbiology Unit, IRCCS-San Martino-IST and DISC, University of Genoa, Italy.
  • 2 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, 06330 Ankara, Turkey.
  • 3 Department of Drug Sciences, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology Section, University of Pavia, Italy.
  • 4 Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • 5 Department of Food Technology, Technological Educational Institution of Thessaly, Terma N. Temponera Str., Greece.
  • 6 Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • 7 Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 27211664 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.04.111
Abstract

Thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) is the main monoterpene phenol occurring in essential oils isolated from Plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family (Thymus, Ocimum, Origanum, and Monarda genera), and other Plants such as those belonging to the Verbenaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Apiaceae families. These essential oils are used in the food industry for their flavouring and preservative properties, in commercial mosquito repellent formulations for their natural repellent effect, in aromatherapy, and in traditional medicine for the treatment of headaches, coughs, and diarrhea. Many different activities of thymol such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, local anaesthetic, antinociceptive, cicatrizing, antiseptic, and especially Antibacterial and Antifungal properties have been shown. This review aims to critically evaluate the available literature regarding the Antibacterial and Antifungal effects of thymol.

Keywords

Antibacterial; Antifungal; Monoterpene; Thymol; Thymus.

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