Antibacterial and antigelatinolytic effects of Satureja hortensis L. essential oil on epithelial cells exposed to Fusobacterium nucleatum.

The present report examined the effects of essential oils (EOs) from Satureja hortensis L. and Salvia fruticosa M. on the viability and outer membrane permeability of the periodontopathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum, a key bacteria in oral biofilms, as well as the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2 and MMP-9) activities in epithelial cells exposed to such bacteria. Membrane permeability was tested by measuring the N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine uptake and bacterial viability by using the commercially available Live/Dead BacLight kit. In addition, gelatin zymography was performed to analyze the inhibition of F. nucleatum-induced MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities in HaCaT cells. We showed that 5, 10, and 25 μL/mL of Sat. hortensis L. EO decreased the ratio of live/dead bacteria and increased the outer membrane permeability in a range of time from 0 to 5 min. Treatments with 10 and 25 μL/mL of Sal. fruticosa M. also increased the membrane permeability and 5, 10, and 25 μL/mL of both EOs inhibited MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities in keratinocytes induced after exposure of 24 h to F. nucleatum. We conclude that antibacterial and antigelatinolytic activities of Sat. hortensis L. EO have potential for the treatment of periodontal inflammation.