Essential Oils as Natural Antimicrobials: Extraction, Characterization, and Synergistic Applications
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant-Derived Antibiotics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 413
Special Issue Editors
Interests: volatile organic compounds; bioinsecticides; repellency; mechanism of action; computational chemistry; bioactivity; molecular docking
Interests: antimicrobial peptides; peptide—membrane interactions; natural antimicrobials; green silver nanoparticles; essential oils as antimicrobials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: pharmacognosy; natural products; essential oil; ethnopharmacology; pharmaceutical science; biological activity; phytochemicals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue explores the latest advancements in the obtention and chemical characterization of essential oils, focusing on their potential as natural antibiotics and their interactions with commercial antimicrobials. Ethnobotanical studies highlight a vast number of medicinal plants with untapped scientific potential, particularly aromatic species, which have long been recognized in traditional medicine for their therapeutic properties.
Essential oils are aromatic oleaginous liquids extracted from various plant parts, composed primarily of a complex mixture of terpenoids derived from secondary metabolism. This Special Issue will showcase novel extraction methodologies, significant findings on antimicrobial activity, synergistic effects with existing antibiotics, and emerging trends in the development of natural antimicrobial agents.
We welcome contributions from researchers and professionals investigating the mechanisms of action of these bioactive compounds, including their interactions with biological membranes, enzymatic inhibition, resistance mitigation, and synergy with conventional antibiotics. Special attention will be given to studies on bacterial biofilm formation and eradication, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms driving these processes.
Dr. Sergio A. Rodríguez
Dr. Axel Hollmann
Dr. Douglas Siqueira de Almeida Chaves
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- natural antimicrobials
- biofilm eradication
- mechanism of action
- synergism
- antagonism
- cytotoxicity
- compound isolation
- membrane interaction
- enzymatic inhibition
- DNA interaction
- oxidative stress
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