Antimicrobial Effect of Zataria Essential Oil on the Skin Bacteria in Wistar Rats

Objective: Zataria is one of the native plants of Iran which is widely used for the treatment of diseases among Iranians. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial effects of Zataria essential oil on the skin bacteria in rats. Methods: Bacterial strains were isolated from the skin of 6 wistar rats and the antimicrobial effects of Zataria essential oil were evaluated by disk diffusion and microbroth dilution methods. In-vivo tests were performed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of the essential oil by microbial culture as well as allergy tests on the skin of experimental rats compared to controls. Results: Three bacterial strains were isolated from the skin of rats identified as Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Minimum Growth Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) for the two strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Corynebacterium were obtained 0.39 and 0.78 mg/ml, while for Staphylococcus epidermidis, they were 0.195 and 0.39 mg/ml, respectively. In-vivo test results showed the antibacterial effect of the essential oil on the skin bacteria and no inflammatory effects were observed under the allergy test. Conclusion: Zataria essential oil has antimicrobial effects on the skin infections in lower concentrations. The use of this essential oil as an antiseptic and preservative in cosmetics is recommended instead of chemical preservatives that generally have skin side effects.