ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2023
Six Spain Thymus essential oils composition analysis and their in vitro and in silico study against Streptococcus mutans.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- From Plant-Derived Compound to Bioactive Agent in Dentistry: The Expanding Role of Thymol.Dentistry journal · 2026Review
- Thymol as a natural monoterpenoid antibacterial agent: a comprehensive review of applications and current advances.Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- The Role of Plant Oils in Combating Streptococcal Infections: Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Therapeutic Potential.Current microbiology · 2025Review
- Advances and challenges in drug design against dental caries: Application ofJournal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2025Review
- Essential Oils for Biofilm Control: Mechanisms, Synergies, and Translational Challenges in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Review
- Morphological and genetic diversity assessment of cultivated Thymus satureioides (endemic species) of Morocco.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2025Article
- Natural compounds: new therapeutic approach for inhibition ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Inhibition of the Biofilm Formation of PlantPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Inhibitory effect ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- A Review on Reinforcements and Additives in Starch-Based Composites for Food Packaging.Polymers · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundStreptococcus mutans is a well-known oral pathogen that plays a critical role in the development of dental caries. Many studies have been directed to discover the chemical compounds present in natural products to inhibit the growth and biofilm formation activity of S. mutans. Thymus essential oils exhibit good inhibition on the growth and pathogenesis of S. mutans. However, details about the active compounds in Thymus essential oil and the inhibition mechanism still remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of 6 Thymus species (Three samples of Thymus vulgaris, two samples of Thymus zygis, and one sample of Thymus satureioides essential oils) on S. mutans, to identify the potential active components, and to reveal the underlying mechanism.
methodsThe composition of Thymus essential oils was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. And its antibacterial effect was evaluated based on the bacterial growth, acid production, biofilm formation and genetic expression of virulence factors by S. mutans. Potential active components of the Thymus essential oil were identified using molecular docking and correlation analysis.
resultsGC-MS analysis showed that the major components in the 6 Spain Thymus essential oils were linalool, α-terpineol, p-cymene, thymol and carvacrol. MIC and MBC analysis showed that 3 Thymus essential oils showed very sensitive antimicrobial activity, and were chosen for further analysis. The 3 Thymus essential oil exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on acid production, adherence and biofilm formation of S. mutans and the expression of virulence genes, such as brpA, gbpB, gtfB, gtfC, gtfD, vicR, spaP and relA. Correlation analysis showed that phenolic components, such as carvacrol and thymol, were positively related to DIZ value, which suggests that they are the potential antimicrobial components. Molecular docking between the Thymus essential oil components and virulence proteins also found that carvacrol and thymol exhibited strong binding affinity with functional domains of virulence genes.
conclusionsThymus essential oil showed significant inhibition against the growth and pathogenesis of S. mutans depending on their composition and concentration. And phenolic compounds, such as carvacrol and thymol, are the major active components. Thymus essential oil could be used in oral healthcare products as a potential anti-caries ingredient.
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