Anti- and Pro-Oxidant Properties of Essential Oils against Antimicrobial Resistance
Amanda Shen-Yee Kong,
Sathiya Maran,
Polly Soo-Xi Yap,
Swee-Hua Erin Lim,
Shun-Kai Yang,
Wan-Hee Cheng,
Yong-Hui Tan,
Kok-Song Lai
Affiliations
Amanda Shen-Yee Kong
School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Semenyih 43500, Selangor, Malaysia
Sathiya Maran
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway 47500, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Polly Soo-Xi Yap
Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway 47500, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Swee-Hua Erin Lim
Health Sciences Division, Abu Dhabi Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi 41012, United Arab Emirates
Shun-Kai Yang
Health Sciences Division, Abu Dhabi Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi 41012, United Arab Emirates
Wan-Hee Cheng
Faculty Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Yong-Hui Tan
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, UCSI Heights, 1, Jalan Puncak Menara Gading, Taman Connaught, Cheras, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
Kok-Song Lai
Health Sciences Division, Abu Dhabi Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi 41012, United Arab Emirates
The rapid evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has remained a major public health issue, reducing the efficacy of antibiotics and increasing the difficulty of treating infections. The discovery of novel antimicrobial agents is urgently needed to overcome the challenges created by AMR. Natural products such as plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) have been viewed as potential candidates to combat AMR due to their complex chemistry that carries inherent pro-oxidant and antioxidant properties. EOs and their constituents that hold pro-oxidant properties can induce oxidative stress by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to biological damage in target cells. In contrast, the antioxidant properties scavenge free radicals through offsetting ROS. Both pro-oxidant and antioxidant activities in EOs represent a promising strategy to tackle AMR. Thus, this review aimed to discuss how pro-oxidants and antioxidants in EOs may contribute to the mitigation of AMR and provided a detailed description of the challenges and limitations of utilizing them as a means to combat AMR.
