In vitro examination of antibacterial and immunomodulatory activities of cinnamon, white thyme, and clove essential oils Valdivieso Ugarte, Magdalena Plaza Díaz, Julio Gómez Llorente, Carolina Gil Hernández, Ángel Antimicrobial activity Antioxidant Biofilm Essential oils Food preservation Immunomodulatory Funding Financial support has been provided by Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial (CDTI) in the framework of the project "Investigacion industrial de nuevos ingredientes, alimentos, tecnologias y seguridad en el ambito de alergias e intolerancias alimentarias" (IDI20170872) . Part of the research currently in progress in the authors' laboratory is funded by the company PAYMSA through the grant #4501 managed by the Fundacion General EmpresaUniversidad de Granada. Carolina Gomez-Llorente, Julio Plaza-Diaz and Angel Gil are part of the “UGR Plan Propio de Investigaci´on 2016” and the “Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), University of Granada”. The present study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial effect of three essential oils (cinnamon, white thyme, and clove) on selected intestinal pathogen bacteria, probiotic strains, and commensal bacteria. Additionally, their effects on inflammatory gene expression were also evaluated in a well-known intestinal human cellular model (Caco-2 cells). Cinnamon showed the highest antipathogenic microbial activity, followed by white thyme and clove. In the case of the probiotic strains, the inhibitory effect was observed at 0.1% (v/v), although growth recovery was seen after 24 h of incubation. Besides, cinnamon down-regulated the expression of genes related to the Toll-like receptor, nitric oxide, and apoptosis pathways. Similarly, secretion of interleukin 2 was inhibited by cinnamon. Results support the potential use of essential oils in the food industry for their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects; however, the underlying mechanisms are unknown and warrant further research. 2021-06-15T07:58:36Z 2021-06-15T07:58:36Z 2021-04-06 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Magdalena Valdivieso-Ugarte, Julio Plaza-Diaz, Carolina Gomez-Llorente, Eduardo Lucas Gómez, Maria Sabés-Alsina, Ángel Gil, In vitro examination of antibacterial and immunomodulatory activities of cinnamon, white thyme, and clove essential oils, Journal of Functional Foods, Volume 81, 2021, 104436, ISSN 1756-4646, [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2021.104436] http://hdl.handle.net/10481/69180 10.1016/j.jff.2021.104436 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Atribución 3.0 España Elsevier