Evaluating in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant properties of origanum vulgare volatile oil

There is a growing interest in complementary and effective compounds in healthcare today, with the goal of reducing the consumption of antibiotics and finding alternative natural preservatives with both antibacterial and antioxidant properties, as well as finding natural antiproliferative agents. The antibacterial potency of volatile oregano oil was tested using bacterial cultures S. aureus (ATCC 25923), E. coli (ATCC 25922) and P. aeruginosa (ATCC 25668). P. aeruginosa was the most immune microorganism studied, while S. aureus was the most susceptible pathogen to oregano oil, with an average inhibition varying between 19.67 mm for the 1:1 diluted oregano oil samples to 35.67 mm for the concentrated oregano oil samples. The two samples containing oregano volatile oil have demonstrated antioxidant efficacy, as indicated by the stable values of the free radical scavenging factor DPPH of 80.80 +/- 0.11 mu g/mL for the O1sample and 68.47 +/- 0.10 mu g/mL for the O2 sample. Obtained results showed that oregano volatile oil may be used as a potential natural antibacterial and a good source of natural antioxidants.