Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Food Interaction and all others data.

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil is an essential oil derived mainly from the Australian native plant Melaleuca alternifolia via steam distillation of the of the leaves and terminal branches . It may be referred to as Melaleuca alternifolia oil. It has been a popular ingredient in a variety of household and cosmetic products due to its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antioxidant properties . The dermatological use of tea tree oil has been investigated by various studies, where several studies have suggested the uses of this oil for the treatment of acne vulgaris, seborrheic dermatitis, and chronic gingivitis . Terpene hydrocarbons and related alcohols constitute tea tree oil, with Terpinen-4-ol being the major antimicrobial component .

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil exhibits antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiprotozoal activities . It mostly mediates bactericidal actions at concentrations of 1.0% or less in most bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and causes bacteriostatic effects at lower concentrations . Organisms such as commensal skin staphylococci and micrococci, Enterococcus faecalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosaemphasized text were susceptible to tea tree oil concentrations of 2% . It is proposed that water-soluble components of tea tree oil are capable in inducing anti-inflammatory actions; terpinen-4-ol attenuates the vasodilation and plasma extravasation associated with histamine-induced inflammation in humans .

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
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Trade Name	Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Generic	Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil Other Names	Australian tea tree oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf water, Melaleuca alternifolia leaf oil, Melaleuca alternifolia oil, Melaleuca oil, Narrow-leaved tea-tree leaf oil, Narrow-leaved ti-tree leaf oil, Narrowleaf paperbark leaf oil, Snow-in-summer leaf oil, Tea tree oil, Tea tree oil australia, Tea tree volatile oil, Ti tree oil
Type
Protein binding	No pharmacokinetic data available.
Groups	Experimental, Nutraceutical
Therapeutic Class
Manufacturer
Available Country
Last Updated:	September 19, 2023 at 7:00 am

Uses

Indicated for topical use to help protect against infection in minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. No FDA-approved therapeutic indications.

How Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil works

The components of tea tree oil, particularly terpinen-4-ol and α-terpineol, mediate antimicrobial actions by disrupting the structural and functional integrity of bacterial membrane. Hydrocarbons are capable of partitioning into the cell and cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms and disrupt their vital functions, which may result in leakage of ions such as potassium, and the inhibition of respiration . Eventually, cell lysis may occur due to weakening of the cell wall, and loss of turgor pressure and subsequent rupture of the cytoplasmic membrane . The loss of 260-nm-absorbing material may be indicative of a damaged cytoplasmic membrane and loss of nucleic acids . In E. coli, perturbed potassium homeostasis, glucose-dependent respiration, cell morphology, and ability to exclude propidium iodide was observed.

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil also mediates its antifungal actions in a similar way, where it alters the permeability of Candida albicans and inhibits its respiration in a dose-dependent manner . Plasma and mitochondrial membranes of fungal species are also thought to be negatively affected by inhibition of glucose-induced medium acidification by tea tree oil, which involves inhibition of membrane ATPase responsible for the expulsion of protons . Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil also inhibits the formation of germ tubes, or mycelial conversion, in C. albicans, thereby disrupting cell morphogenesis . Water-soluble fraction of TTO, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpineol, can inhibit the lipopolysaccharide-induced production of the inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10 by human peripheral monocytes by approximately 50% and that of prostaglandin E2 by about 30% after 40 h . These components of tea tree oil may also suppress superoxide production by agonist-stimulated monocytes and decrease the production of reactive oxygen species by both stimulated neutrophils and monocytes .

Toxicity

The 50% lethal dose for TTO in a rat model is 1.9 to 2.6 mL/kg, and doses ≤1.5 g/kg was associated with ataxia and lethargy. Dermal patches containing 10% of tea tree oil was not associated with any irritant reactions. Topically-applied tea tree oil rarely causes systemic toxicity . Dermal application of approximately 120 ml of undiluted tea tree oil to three cats with shaved but intact skin resulted in symptoms of hypothermia, uncoordination, dehydration, and trembling and in the death of one of the cats .