The Potential of Essential Oils as Topical Antimicrobial Agents in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) based approaches have been a game changer in the field of drug discovery since approximately two decades ago. The increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a global scale has posed a new challenge for machine learning architecture in pharmaceutical research in terms of drug discovery. In comparison with other types of medicines for antimicrobial discovery, AI-based application in topical medicines to address wound infections is still very limited. This chapter provides an overview of this emerging field in an effort to introduce the basic concepts of prominent AI-based methods while stimulating renewed motivation to explore the potential of essential oils (EOs) through these techniques for their healing potential in wound infections and, eventually, hopefully to overcome AMR. We emphasize on the potential of EOs for topical applications due to their favorable phytochemical properties.