Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> Persisters
Persister cells are a small subpopulation of non-growing bacteria within a population that can survive long exposures to antibiotic treatment. Following antibiotic removal, persister cells can regrow and populate, playing a key role in the chronic reoccurrence of bacterial infections. The developmen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Biomolecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/13/9/1404 |
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| author | LeeAnn Nguyen Brianna DeVico Maliha Mannan Matthew Chang Cristina Rada Santacruz Christopher Siragusa Sydney Everhart Christopher H. Fazen |
| author_facet | LeeAnn Nguyen Brianna DeVico Maliha Mannan Matthew Chang Cristina Rada Santacruz Christopher Siragusa Sydney Everhart Christopher H. Fazen |
| author_sort | LeeAnn Nguyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Persister cells are a small subpopulation of non-growing bacteria within a population that can survive long exposures to antibiotic treatment. Following antibiotic removal, persister cells can regrow and populate, playing a key role in the chronic reoccurrence of bacterial infections. The development of new molecules and methods to kill bacterial persisters is critical. Essential oils and other natural products have long been studied for their antimicrobial effects. Here, we studied the effectiveness of tea tree essential oil (TTO), a common component in many commercial care products, against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> persister cells. Using biphasic kill curve assays, we found that concentrations of 0.5% and 1.0% TTO for <i>E. coli</i> and <i>S. epidermidis</i>, respectively, completely eradicated persister cells over a period of 24 h, with the component terpinen-4-ol responsible for most of the killing. Using a colorimetric assay, it was determined that the TTO exhibited its anti-persister effects through a membrane disruption mechanism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:59:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-453e2d7798104b16a7a5245d9e40f02d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-273X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:59:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomolecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-453e2d7798104b16a7a5245d9e40f02d2023-11-19T09:46:30ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2023-09-01139140410.3390/biom13091404Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> PersistersLeeAnn Nguyen0Brianna DeVico1Maliha Mannan2Matthew Chang3Cristina Rada Santacruz4Christopher Siragusa5Sydney Everhart6Christopher H. Fazen7Department of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USADepartment of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USADepartment of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USADepartment of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USADepartment of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USADepartment of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USADepartment of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USADepartment of Chemistry, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USAPersister cells are a small subpopulation of non-growing bacteria within a population that can survive long exposures to antibiotic treatment. Following antibiotic removal, persister cells can regrow and populate, playing a key role in the chronic reoccurrence of bacterial infections. The development of new molecules and methods to kill bacterial persisters is critical. Essential oils and other natural products have long been studied for their antimicrobial effects. Here, we studied the effectiveness of tea tree essential oil (TTO), a common component in many commercial care products, against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> persister cells. Using biphasic kill curve assays, we found that concentrations of 0.5% and 1.0% TTO for <i>E. coli</i> and <i>S. epidermidis</i>, respectively, completely eradicated persister cells over a period of 24 h, with the component terpinen-4-ol responsible for most of the killing. Using a colorimetric assay, it was determined that the TTO exhibited its anti-persister effects through a membrane disruption mechanism.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/13/9/1404bacterial persistersessential oilstea tree essential oil |
| spellingShingle | LeeAnn Nguyen Brianna DeVico Maliha Mannan Matthew Chang Cristina Rada Santacruz Christopher Siragusa Sydney Everhart Christopher H. Fazen Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> Persisters Biomolecules bacterial persisters essential oils tea tree essential oil |
| title | Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> Persisters |
| title_full | Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> Persisters |
| title_fullStr | Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> Persisters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> Persisters |
| title_short | Tea Tree Essential Oil Kills <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> Persisters |
| title_sort | tea tree essential oil kills i escherichia coli i and i staphylococcus epidermidis i persisters |
| topic | bacterial persisters essential oils tea tree essential oil |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/13/9/1404 |
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