植物精油是一类从植物中萃取的芳香味油状液体,是一类优良的天然抗菌材料。作为抗菌材料,植物精油具有以下优点:具有广谱高效的抗菌活性;具有熏蒸特性、气味芳香;取自天然植物,绿色环保;来源广,提取容易。植物精油因其多种优点,在抗菌领域具有巨大的潜在应用价值。本文从植物精油的分布及化学成分、抗细菌活性和抗真菌活性的研究,以及植物精油化学成分与抗菌活性之间的联系等方面对植物精油的抗菌性能进行评述,以期促进植物精油在抗菌领域的广泛应用,同时给从事植物精油抗菌研究的科研工作者提供参考。
Essential oils, a series of aromatic oily liquids extracted from aromatic plants, are fine natural antimicrobial materials. Essential oils have many advantages in the antimicrobial aspect:(1) have strong and broad range of antimicrobial activity;(2) have a fumigating characteristic and aromatic odor;(3) be natural and environmental friendly;(4) easy to be extracted from wide sources. Based on these advantages, essential oils have great potential applications in the antimicrobial field. In this paper, we overviewed the latest progress of researching about essential oils from several aspects, such as the distribution and chemical composition, the antibacterial and antifungal activity, as well as relationship between the chemical compositions and antimicrobial activity. This review could promote the application of essential oils in broad antimicrobial field and provide a reference for the scientists engaged in the research of essential oils.