Group B

Question 3
CLOVE OIL

Throughout the years numerous investigations concerning the inhibition of

microorganisms by Herbs have been reported and now herbs are widely used for curing
infectious diseases. One of the herbs that have beneficial effects in various bacterial, fungal,
viral or parasitic Infections is clove.

Clove oil is a kind of aromatic oil extracted from the buds and leaves of clove trees,
which is widely used in antibacterial and food preservation due to its broad-spectrum
bactericidal, biodegradable, safe and non-toxic side effects. Cloves are used in Indian
Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, and western herbalism and dentistry where the
essential oil is used as an anodyne (painkiller) for dental emergencies. The essential oil is
used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming are needed, especially for digestive
problems. Topical application over the stomach or abdomen is said to warm the digestive
tract. Applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth, it also relieves toothache. In addition, clove oil
is used in the preparation of some toothpastes, laxative pills, and clovacaine solution, which
is a local anesthetic used in oral ulceration and inflammation. Eugenol (or clove oil generally)
is mixed with zinc oxide to form a temporary tooth cavity filling. The main compounds of the
clove oil are phenylpropanoids such as eugenol (76.8%), followed by b-caryophyllene
(17.4%), ahumulene (2.1%), and eugenyl acetate (1.2%). It is known as antibacterial agent
against pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes,
Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus sakei and
Helicobacter pyroli. The clove oil and eugenol also showed strong activity against
periodontopathogenic bacteria, F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, and P. Gingivalis.

Some studies reported that clove oil can destroy the integrity of cell membranes, trigger the
outflow of biological macromolecules and intracellular enzymes, and interfere with protein
synthesis. Clove oil is reported to act primarily by disrupting the cytoplasmic membrane.
Moreover, the hydrophobic nature of eugenol enables it to penetrate the
lipopolysaccharide of the Gram negative bacterial cell membrane and alters the cell
structure, which subsequently results in the leakage of intracellular constituents. The
leakage of biomacromolecules (ATP, DNA and protein) and intracellular enzymes (AKP and
β-galactosidase) causing the losses of vital intracellular materials, which finally result in the
bacterial death.

Critical comment : based on the studies above, clove has a wide range of
pharmacological and biological activities and it is widely used in the medicine, especially the
antimicrobial effects. The clove oil has been proven that have an antimicrobial effects by its actions
on inhibiting the microbial growth. the clove oil may interact with the cell wall and membrane first.
On the one hand it destroys cell wall and membranes, next causing the losses of vital intracellular
materials, which finally result in the bacterial death. Besides, essential oil penetrates to the
cytoplasmic membrane or enters inside the cell after destruction of the cell structure, and then
inhibits the normal synthesis of DNA and proteins that are required for bacterial growth. This actions
on killing the bacteria prove that clove oil has great abilities as an antimicrobial agent. Besides, from
the studies discussed above also mentioned clove oil has an antimicrobial activity against many
bacteria including periodontopathogenic bacteria such as F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, and P.
Gingivalis, this statement are relevant to one of the common oral infectious oral problem,
Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis which is caused by those bacteria. So clove oil can be one of the
alternative for the Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis medication.

Sumber :

Cui, H., Zhang, C., Li, C. and Lin, L., 2018. Antimicrobial mechanism of clove oil on Listeria
monocytogenes. Food Control, 94, pp.140-146.

Moon, S.E., Kim, H.Y. and Cha, J.D., 2011. Synergistic effect between clove oil and its major
compounds and antibiotics against oral bacteria. Archives of oral biology, 56(9), pp.907-
916..