ENHANCED AND SYNERGISTIC ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SOME COMMON ESSENTIAL OIL COMPONENTS WHEN COMBINED WITH THE ANTIBIOTICS AMPICILLIN AND PENICILLIN

摘要

Monoterpenes commonly found in Cymbopogon species exhibited enhanced and/or synergistic antibacterial activity against the microbes Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus when combined with the antibiotics ampicillin and penicillin.The compounds citral,(R)-citronellal,(S)-citronellal,geraniol,(R)-limonene,(S)-limonene,and myrcene were tested for their ability to enhance the bioactivity of antibiotics against the two bacteria.Citral(as a mixture of isomers),exhibited synergistic bioactivity against B.subtilis when combined with both ampicillin and penicillin and against S.aureus when combined with ampicillin.(S)-citronellal exhibited modest synergistic activity and(S)-limonene showed slight enhancement of bioactivity when combined with ampicillin against B.subtilis.