I would like to seek your guidance regarding the use of Tween 80 and DMSO as solubilizing agents for plant extracts and essential oils in antibacterial activity assays. Would it be appropriate to mix these two excipients for this purpose? If so, what would be the optimal concentration to ensure proper solubilization without affecting the assay results?
Additionally, I would greatly appreciate your advice on conducting MIC assays with plant extracts. During incubation, I have observed that the extracts often precipitate and settle at the bottom, making it difficult to accurately assess turbidity. Could you kindly suggest a suitable approach to address this issue?
Thank you very much for your time and expertise.
Thong Tran To increase the solubility of essential oils (EO), the concentrations of Tween 80 (e.g. 0.5% v/v) and DMSO (e.g. 0.1–10% aqueous solution) should be adjusted accordingly. Additionally, it is important to include a control well for the concentration used. The dissolved EO can be sterilized by filtering through a 0.45 μm membrane before use. In Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) analyses, plant extracts can cause precipitation and turbidity, potentially leading to technical difficulties. I recommend performing the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) test to minimize these uncertainties and increase the accuracy of MIC values. I wish you success in your research.
You should be careful when using Tween 80 because it causes a hemolytic effect. If you are going to include these tests in your study, you will face the same challenge in solubilization. I would recommend using 3% DMSO instead and generating an emulsion with the essential oil.
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