Enhancing the Functional Properties of Tea Tree Oil: In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity and Microencapsulation Strategy

MANZANELLI, F.; RAVETTI, S.; BRIGNONE, S.; GARRO, A.; MARTINEZ, S.; VALLEJO, M.G.; PALMA, S.

Pharmaceutics

MDPI

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2023 vol. 15

n the context of addressing antimicrobial drug resistance in periocular infections, Tea Tree Oil (TTO) has emerged as a promising therapeutic option. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of TTO against bacterial strains isolated from ocular infections, with a particular focus on its ability toinhibit biofilm formation. Additionally, we designed and analyzed microcapsules containing TTO to overcome certain unfavorable physicochemical properties and enhance its inherent biological attributes. The quality of TTO was confirmed through rigorous analysis using GC-MS and UV-Vis techniques. Our agar diffusion assay demonstrated the effectiveness of Tea Tree Oil (TTO) against ocular bacterial strains, including Corynebacterium spp., coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as a reference strain of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). Notably, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for all tested microorganisms