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Clinical Potential of Essential Oils: Cytotoxicity, Selectivity Index and Antimicrobial Activity Against
Biruk Bayleyegn Belete1, Jerome Ozkan1, Parthasarathi Kalaiselvan1
1School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 27, 2026
Summary
Certain plant essential oils show potent antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant ESKAPEE pathogens. These natural compounds demonstrate promising efficacy with low toxicity, suggesting potential as novel antimicrobial agents.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Microbiology
Background:
- Urgent need for novel therapeutics against antibiotic-resistant ESKAPEE pathogens causing life-threatening infections.
- ESKAPEE pathogens are a major cause of diverse infections and exhibit high antimicrobial resistance.
- This review focuses on plant essential oils (EOs) as potential antimicrobial agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of various plant essential oils (EOs) against Gram-negative ESKAPEE pathogens.
- To assess the cytotoxic effects of these EOs on cancer and normal mammalian cell lines.
- To calculate selectivity indices for an initial safety assessment of EOs.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of studies from 2013-2024 using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.
- Inclusion criteria: studies reporting both antimicrobial inhibitory concentrations and mammalian cell toxicity.
- Calculation of selectivity indices (toxic concentration/antimicrobial inhibitory concentration) for safety evaluation.
Main Results:
- Ocimum basilicum and Satureja nabateorum EOs exhibited strong activity against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae with high selectivity indices (>80.4 and >100, respectively).
- Other EOs from Eucalyptus, Thymus, Mentha, Cinnamomum, Artemisia, and Aquilaria crassna showed broad-spectrum activity and minimal mammalian cell toxicity.
- Some EOs had selectivity indices <10, indicating potential cytotoxicity, with increased toxicity observed in cancer-derived cells.
Conclusions:
- Specific plant essential oils demonstrate significant antimicrobial activity against critical Gram-negative ESKAPEE pathogens.
- These EOs show selective toxicity towards cancer cells, indicating potential therapeutic applications.
- Further research, including studies on normal cell lines and clinical trials, is necessary to confirm safety and efficacy.
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