The mode of antibacterial action of essential oils

The antimicrobial activity of essential oils and their components has been recognized for a very long time. Essential oils (EOs) are made from a very complex mixture of volatile molecules that are produced by the secondary metabolism of aromatic and medicinal plants and can be obtained by distillation of different parts of plants. The large number of studies on the antimicrobial activity of EOs has allowed the scientific recognition of these compounds on the control of a wide range of microbial pathogens. The progresses made on the investigation of the mode of action of EOs against bacterial cell targets give us new perspectives to combat persistent and antimicrobial resistant bacterial pathogens. The recent investigation on the activity of EOs disruption of quorum sensing process is an excellent example. On the other hand proteomic analysis show that bacterial pathogens respond to EO sublethal doses using known mechanisms of adaptation to several environmental stress conditions.