A review of the antimicrobial activity of thermodynamically stable microemulsions

Ibrahim Si Al-Adham*, Nisrein Jaber, Mayyas Al-Remawi, Faisal Al-Akayleh, Elham Al-Kaissi, Ahmed Sa Ali Agha, Lewis B Fitzsimmons, Phillip J Collier*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    18 Citations (Scopus)
    217 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, transparent, isotropic mixtures of oil, water and surfactant (and sometimes a co-surfactant), which have shown potential for widespread application in disinfection and self-preservation. This is thought to be due to an innate antimicrobial effect. It is suggested that the antimicrobial nature of microemulsions is the result of a combination of their inherent kinetic energy and their containing surfactants, which are known to aid the disruption of bacterial membranes. This review examines the contemporary evidence in support of this theory.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)537-547
    Number of pages11
    JournalLetters in Applied Microbiology
    Volume75
    Issue number3
    Early online date30 Sept 2021
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2022

    Keywords

    • Microemulsion
    • Antimicrobial
    • Mode of action
    • Preservative
    • Membrane-active

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