Thymol-Nanoparticles as Effective Biocides against the Quarantine Pathogen .
Francesca Baldassarre, Daniele Schiavi, Serena Ciarroni, Vincenzo Tagliavento, Angelo De Stradis, Viviana Vergaro, Gian Paolo Suranna, Giorgio Mariano Balestra, Giuseppe Ciccarella
Author Information
Francesca Baldassarre: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, UdR INSTM of Lecce University of Salento, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy. ORCID
Daniele Schiavi: Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, Snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy. ORCID
Serena Ciarroni: Phytoparasites Diagnostics (PhyDia) s.r.l., Via S. Camillo de Lellis, Snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
Vincenzo Tagliavento: Phytoparasites Diagnostics (PhyDia) s.r.l., Via S. Camillo de Lellis, Snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
Angelo De Stradis: Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR-IPSP, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy. ORCID
Viviana Vergaro: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, UdR INSTM of Lecce University of Salento, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy. ORCID
Gian Paolo Suranna: Institute of Nanotechnology, CNR NANOTEC, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Giorgio Mariano Balestra: Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, Snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy. ORCID
Giuseppe Ciccarella: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, UdR INSTM of Lecce University of Salento, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy. ORCID
Quarantine pathogens require the investigation of new tools for effective plant protection. In particular, research on sustainable agrochemicals is the actual challenge. Plant extracts, essential oils, and gels are natural sources of efficient biocides, such as aromatic secondary metabolites. Thymol is the major phenolic constituent of thyme and oregano essential oils, and it can inhibit many pathogenic microbes. Thymol nanoparticles were obtained through adsorption on CaCO nanocrystals, exploiting their carrier action. High loading efficiency and capability were reached as verified through UV and TGA measurements. We report the first study of thymol effect on conducing both fluorometric assay and in vitro inhibition assay. The first test confirmed the great antibacterial effect of this compound. Finally, an in vitro test revealed an interesting synergistic action of thymol and nanocarriers, suggesting the potential application of thymol-nanoparticles as effective biocides to control infection.
