Thymol

Antibacterial

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Thymol, also known as Pseudoaspidin, is a principal monoterpene phenol found in the essential oils of plants from the Lamiaceae family, along with several other families including Verbenaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Apiaceae. This compound exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

1. Thymol, carvacrol and 6-gingerol possess useful antioxidant properties and may become important in the search for 'natural' replacements for 'synthetic' antioxidant food additives. 2. The essential oil of L. sidoides and its major components thymol and carvacrol exhibit potent antimicrobial activity against the organisms tested with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from .625 to 1. mg/mL, the most sensitive microorganisms are C. albicans and Streptococcus mutans. 3. Thymol has insecticidal and repellent activities against Anopheles stephensi. 4. Thymol possesses anti-hepatotoxic activity, it prevents the CCl4-induced prolongation in pentobarbital sleeping time confirming hepatoprotectivity. 5. Thymol is a positive allosteric modulator of human GABAA receptors and a homo-oligomeric GABA receptor from Drosophila melanogaster. 6. The thyme essential oil possesses a wide range spectrum of fungicidal activity, the vaporous phase of the oil exhibits long-lasting suppressive activity on moulds from damp dwellings. 7. Thymol has anti-inflammatory activity, it has inhibitory effect on the release of human neutrophil elastase.