Summary
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the leading global threats to public health, animal welfare and food safety. The increasing spread of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens and the limited number of new antibacterial molecules require complementary strategies to enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics. Essential oils and their major components are complex natural mixtures with proven in vitro antimicrobial activity and potential for synergistic interaction with antibacterial agents. This review analyses the possibility of combining antibiotics with essential oils as a potential adjuvant approach in the control of antimicrobial resistance. The main interaction mechanisms are summarized, including increased bacterial membrane permeability, modulation of efflux pumps, interference with biofilm formation and potentiation of antibiotic activity. Experimental data are presented on synergistic and potentiating interactions between selected essential oils or their components and antibiotics against important bacterial pathogens, including multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA/MSSA strains), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis and other staphylococci. Examples of the adjuvant potential of geraniol, coriander oil, eugenol, linalool, carvacrol, thymol, patchouli and tea tree oils, and clary sage essential oil in combination with oxacillin are discussed. Despite promising in vitro results, clinical and veterinary application requires chemical standardization, pharmaco-toxicological assessment, suitable dosage forms and controlled in vivo studies before these combinations can be regarded as applicable therapeutic strategies.
https://DOI: 10.59496/20261PUH2