Liposomal incorporation of Satureja Hortensis L. essential oil and in vitro antimicrobial activity on oral microorganisms

The use of nanotechnology in the medical industry, involves the use of carrier systems to provide bioavailability, stability and to effectively deliver antimicrobial agents. The essential oil of Satureja hortensis L. a popular Turkish herb, is known to have high antimicrobial activity due to the presence of carvacrol, thymol and p-cymene. The aim of this study was to incorporate, characterize and determine the antimicrobial efficacy of S.hortensis essential oil, loaded liposomes. Microorganisms tested were: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans FDC Y4, Prevotella intermedia ATCC 25611, Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277 and Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586, S.mutans and C.albicans. EO was extracted from S.hortensis, by hydrodistillation method and incorporated achieved by the Bangham method. Different types of loaded liposome (L1 and L2) formulations were prepared with phospholipid 85 G (P85G), cholesterol (CH) and stearylamine (SA) at different ratios, respectively, (P85G: CH: SA; 7:1:2 and 10:1:4). Liposomal formulations were characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and microscopic methods. The antimicrobial activity of L1 and L2 were examined by the Agar Well Diffusion Assay after 120 h incubation. Statistical analysis of results by way of Tukey, Anova and Dunnet tests. Both L1 and L2 showed antimicrobial effects against all test microorganisms. However, overall characterization and antimicrobial results, revealed L1 to have better properties for use against oral pathogens. A liposomal approach can be useful for containing volatile compounds that have antimicrobial effects on oral microorganisms.Finally, liposomes incorporating S.hortensis L. EO, may be considered as a potential liposomal delivery system in the oral cavity in the future.