Camilla Torres Pereira 1, Bernadete Santos 1, Mylena Medeiros Simões 1, Millena de Souza Alves 1, Fernanda Matias Cariri Marques 1, Maria Alice Araújo de Medeiros 1, João Henrique Anizio de Farias 1, Wladymyr Jefferson Bacalhau de Sousa 2, Albaniza Alves Tavares 2 and Abrahão Alves de Oliveira Filho 3
1Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Graduate Program in Animal Science and Health, Patos, PB, Brazil; 2Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Postgraduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil; 3Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Patos, PB, Brazil
*Corresponding author: camilla.torres.cb@gmail.com
Urinary tract infections are common in small-animal practice, with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae as the primary causative agents. Bacterial resistance to synthetic antimicrobials has driven the search for natural alternatives, such as essential oils, whose direct application is limited by their volatility and instability. The objective of this study was to characterize, both physicochemically and morphologically, alginate capsules containing a mixture of essential oils from Origanum vulgare L. and Thymus vulgaris L., as well as to evaluate, in a complementary manner, their antibacterial activity against uropathogenic bacteria isolated from dogs and cats. The capsules were obtained via ionic gelation and characterized for physical properties, water activity, moisture content, and morphology. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using the agar diffusion method. The encapsulated systems exhibited parameters consistent with good flowability, physicochemical stability, and a water activity below 0.7. Furthermore, the capsules containing the essential oils maintained antibacterial activity, as evidenced by the formation of inhibition zones against the evaluated strains. In conclusion, alginate encapsulation is a promising strategy for protecting and applying essential oils, with potential use in controlling uropathogenic pathogens in veterinary medicine.