Summary: | This study aimed at developing an antimicrobial material based on hydroxyapatite (HAp) and peppermint essential oil (P-EO) in order to stimulate the antimicrobial activity of hydroxyapatite. The molecular spectral features and morphology of the P-EO, HAp and hydroxyapatite coated with peppermint essential oil (HAp-P) were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The coating of the HAp with the P-EO did not affect the ellipsoidal shape of the nanoparticles. The overlapping of IR bands of P-EO and HAp in the HAp-P spectrum determined the formation of the broad molecular bands that were observed in the spectral regions of 400−1000 cm<sup>−1</sup> and 1000−1200 cm<sup>−1</sup>. The antibacterial activity of the P-EO, HAp and HAp-P were also tested against different Gram-positive bacteria (methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) 388, <i>S. aureus</i> ATCC 25923, <i>S. aureus</i> ATCC 6538, <i>E. faecium</i> DSM 13590), Gram-negative bacteria (<i>Escherichia coli</i> ATCC 25922, <i>E. coli</i> C5, <i>P. aeruginosa</i> ATCC 27853, <i>P. aeruginosa</i> ATCC 9027) and a fungal strain of <i>Candida parapsilosis</i>. The results of the present study revealed that the antimicrobial activity of HAp-P increased significantly over that of HAp.
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