Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Potential
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an increasing challenge to modern medicine, necessitating the search for novel therapeutic strategies. This study evaluates the synergistic antimicrobial activity of oregano essential oil (OEO) and thyme essential oil (TEO) in combination with vitamin C against c...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4294 |
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| author | Sylvia Stamova Neli Ermenlieva Gabriela Tsankova Silviya P. Nikolova Emilia Georgieva |
| author_facet | Sylvia Stamova Neli Ermenlieva Gabriela Tsankova Silviya P. Nikolova Emilia Georgieva |
| author_sort | Sylvia Stamova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an increasing challenge to modern medicine, necessitating the search for novel therapeutic strategies. This study evaluates the synergistic antimicrobial activity of oregano essential oil (OEO) and thyme essential oil (TEO) in combination with vitamin C against clinically relevant pathogens. The antimicrobial activity was assessed using MIC, MBC and MFC assays, alongside in silico analyses utilizing Swiss Target Prediction, STRING and Reactome to identify potential molecular targets and underlying biological mechanisms. The results demonstrate that the combination of oregano oil and vitamin C significantly reduces MIC and MBC values against <i>E. coli</i> and <i>C. albicans</i>, indicating a synergistic effect, while an antagonistic interaction was observed against <i>S. aureus</i>. Protein interaction analysis revealed that thymol and carvacrol inhibit NF-κB and activate Nrf2, leading to the modulation of inflammatory and antioxidant responses. Additionally, carvacrol suppresses biofilm formation, while vitamin C enhances phagocytosis and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These findings suggest that combining vitamin C with essential oils may serve as an effective adjuvant approach in antimicrobial therapy, particularly for infections associated with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5a990691dbd1457aa287150ec6d2a1a1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-5a990691dbd1457aa287150ec6d2a1a12025-08-20T03:14:21ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-04-01158429410.3390/app15084294Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic PotentialSylvia Stamova0Neli Ermenlieva1Gabriela Tsankova2Silviya P. Nikolova3Emilia Georgieva4Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Varna, 9000 Varna, BulgariaDepartment of Microbiology and Virusology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna, 9000 Varna, BulgariaDepartment of Microbiology and Virusology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna, 9000 Varna, BulgariaDepartment of Social Medicine and Health Care Organization, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Varna, 9000 Varna, BulgariaTraining Sector “Medical Laboratory Technician”, Medical College—Varna, Medical University of Varna, 9000 Varna, BulgariaAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an increasing challenge to modern medicine, necessitating the search for novel therapeutic strategies. This study evaluates the synergistic antimicrobial activity of oregano essential oil (OEO) and thyme essential oil (TEO) in combination with vitamin C against clinically relevant pathogens. The antimicrobial activity was assessed using MIC, MBC and MFC assays, alongside in silico analyses utilizing Swiss Target Prediction, STRING and Reactome to identify potential molecular targets and underlying biological mechanisms. The results demonstrate that the combination of oregano oil and vitamin C significantly reduces MIC and MBC values against <i>E. coli</i> and <i>C. albicans</i>, indicating a synergistic effect, while an antagonistic interaction was observed against <i>S. aureus</i>. Protein interaction analysis revealed that thymol and carvacrol inhibit NF-κB and activate Nrf2, leading to the modulation of inflammatory and antioxidant responses. Additionally, carvacrol suppresses biofilm formation, while vitamin C enhances phagocytosis and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These findings suggest that combining vitamin C with essential oils may serve as an effective adjuvant approach in antimicrobial therapy, particularly for infections associated with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4294antimicrobial activityessential oilsvitamin Csynergistic effectmolecular targetsadjuvant therapy |
| spellingShingle | Sylvia Stamova Neli Ermenlieva Gabriela Tsankova Silviya P. Nikolova Emilia Georgieva Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Potential Applied Sciences antimicrobial activity essential oils vitamin C synergistic effect molecular targets adjuvant therapy |
| title | Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Potential |
| title_full | Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Potential |
| title_fullStr | Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Potential |
| title_full_unstemmed | Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Potential |
| title_short | Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Vitamin C: Mechanisms, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Potential |
| title_sort | synergistic antimicrobial activity of essential oils and vitamin c mechanisms molecular targets and therapeutic potential |
| topic | antimicrobial activity essential oils vitamin C synergistic effect molecular targets adjuvant therapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4294 |
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