| Summary: | In this study, the essential oil of <i>Origanum vulgare </i>was evaluated for putative antibacterial activity against six clinical strains and five reference strains of <i>Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans</i>, in comparison with some antimicrobials. The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed, using chromatography (CG) and gas chromatography−mass spectrometry coupled (CG−MS). The major compounds in the oil were Carvacrol (32.36%), α-terpineol (16.70%), <i>p</i>-cymene (16.24%), and Thymol (12.05%). The antimicrobial activity was determined by an agar well diffusion test. A broth microdilution method was used to study the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) was also determined. The cytotoxicity of the essential oil (IC50) was <125 µg/mL for THP-1 cells, which was high in comparison with different MIC values for the <i>A. actinomycetemcomitans</i> strains. <i>O. vulgare</i> essential oil did not interfere with the neutralizing capacity of <i>Psidium guajava</i> against the <i>A. actinomycetemcomitans </i>leukotoxin. In addition, it was shown that the <i>O. vulgare</i> EO had an antibacterial effect against <i>A. actinomycetemcomitans</i> on a similar level as some tested antimicrobials. In view of these findings, we suggest that <i>O.vulgare </i>EO may be used as an adjuvant for prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases associated to <i>A. actinomycetemcomitans</i>. In addition, it can be used together with the previously tested leukotoxin neutralizing <i>Psidium guajava</i>.
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