Thymol information and benefit, content in thyme herb and review of medical uses

Thymol, a major component of thyme and oregano herbs, has medical uses in oral care products as an astringent and antibiotic.

Thymol content in thyme herb
Chemical composition of essential oils of Thymus and Mentha species and their antifungal activities.
Molecules. 2009 Jan 7; Soković MD, Vukojević J, Marin PD, Brkić DD, Vajs V, van Griensven LJ. Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stanković", Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
The potential antifungal effects of Thymus vulgaris L., Thymus tosevii L., Mentha spicata L., and Mentha piperita L. (Labiatae) essential oils and their components against 17 micromycetal food poisoning, plant, animal and human pathogens are presented. Thymol (48%) and p-cymene (19%) were the main components of Thymus vulgaris, while carvacrol (12%), a-terpinyl acetate (12%), cis-myrtanol (11%) and thymol (10%) were dominant in T. tosevii. Both Thymus species showed very strong antifungal activities. In M. piperita oil menthol (37%), menthyl acetate (17%) and menthone (12%) were the main components, whereas those of M. spicata oil were carvone (69%) and menthone (21%). Mentha sp. showed strong antifungal activities, however lower than Thymus sp. The commercial fungicide, bifonazole, used as a control, had much lower antifungal activity than the oils and components investigated. It is concluded that essential oils of Thymus and Mentha species possess great antifungal potential and could be used as natural preservatives and fungicides.

Thymol against candida albicans
Thymol inhibits Candida albicans biofilm formation and mature biofilm.
Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2008 March. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Vanvitelli 32, 20129 Milan, Italy.
Candida albicans has a high propensity to develop biofilms that are resistant to traditional antifungal agents. Thymol is credited with a series of pharmacological properties including antimicrobial and antifungal effects. As C. albicans biofilms are known to be important factors underlying its virulence and pathogenicity, the aim of this study was to investigate whether thymol can interfere with biofilm formation as well as acting on mature biofilms. Tests of C. albicans showed that thymol interferes with the starting phases of biofilm production as well as with mature C. albicans biofilms. The metabolic activity of sessile cells was reduced by >90% at twice the minimum inhibitory concentration of planktonic cells. As biofilm is a multifactorial phenomenon, the multiple mechanisms of thymol (terpenes) could act on different steps in the evolution of mature biofilm.

Inhibition of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli in model broth and rumen systems by carvacrol and thymol.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2010 Jan 29. Rivas L, McDonnell MJ, Burgess CM, O'Brien M, Navarro-Villa A, Fanning S, Duffy G. Ashtown Food Research Centre, Teagasc, Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
The antimicrobial activities of thymol and carvacrol were assessed against a selection of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains (n=11) and other bacterial species and spoilage bacteria (n=7) using a model broth system. The effects of pH, temperature, water activity, sodium chloride concentrations, inoculum size and the presence of competing microflora on the activities of thymol and carvacrol against E. coli O157:H7 strain 380-94 were also determined. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC, respectively) and numbers of surviving E. coli O157:H7 were determined following incubation. The mean numbers of VTEC surviving exposure to thymol or carvacrol at concentrations of >/=500mug/ml were between 2.0 and 7.8log cfu/ml less than the numbers in the corresponding controls. The susceptibility of E. coli O157:H7 to carvacrol or thymol was found to increase with decreasing storage temperature, water activity, pH and E. coli O157:H7 inoculum size. Sodium chloride (0.5-2.5 percent) and the presence of a microflora cocktail did not significantly) affect the antimicrobial activities of thymol or carvacrol against E. coli O157:H7. The antimicrobial activity of carvacrol against E. coli O157:H7 was also tested in a model rumen system. A MIC of 500mug/ml carvacrol reduced E. coli O157:H7 inoculated at levels of 10(3) and 10(6)cfu/ml to undetectable levels in the system after 24h incubation. This concentration of carvacrol decreased the total gas production and volatile fatty acid concentrations in the model rumen assay.

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