ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Vinitha Devaraju1 , Geethadevi Chandrasekaran2, Sushmitha Devaraju3, Rajendran Ramasamy1 and Muthukrishnan Pallikondaperumal1
1Department of Microbiology, PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
2BIRAC Innovation Fellow, GRG BIRAC E-YUVA Centre, PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
3Department of Botany, PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Article Number: 10843 | © The Author(s). 2026
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2026;20(1):653-668. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.20.1.50
Received: 06 August 2025 | Accepted: 16 January 2026 | Published online: 02 March 2026
Issue online: March 2026
Abstract

Amid the global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), essential oils (EOs) offer a promising natural alternative to conventional therapies due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential of EOs-eugenol (clove), rosemary, rosehip, lavender, clary sage, and lemongrass- against clinical pathogens, including multidrug-resistant strains. Agar well diffusion and broth microdilution assays revealed that eugenol exhibited the greatest antimicrobial efficacy (zone of inhibition: 25.0 ± 0.8 mm; MIC: 62.5-125 µg/mL), followed by rosemary and lavender oils. A ternary EO combination significantly enhanced antibacterial activity against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, and MRSA. Antioxidant activity, quantified using the DPPH radical scavenging assay, yielded the lowest IC50 for the EO combination (11.78 ± 0.70 µg/mL). HRBC membrane stabilization assays demonstrated comparable anti-inflammatory efficacy for the combination and eugenol (IC50: 28.19-36.18 µg/mL) relative to diclofenac. GC-MS profiling identified 40 bioactive constituents, notably eucalyptol, a-pinene, and eugenol, underpinning the observed pharmacological effects. These findings substantiate the therapeutic potential of EO formulations in addressing infection, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences across treatments, validating the efficacy of EO interventions. These findings highlight the therapeutic relevance of EOs, particularly in combination, as multi-target agents capable of addressing infection, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The data support their development as adjunctive or alternative options to combat AMR-driven clinical challenges.

Keywords

Essential Oils, Antimicrobial Resistance, Bioactive Compounds, Anti-inflammation, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy

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© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.