Antifungal and cytotoxic activity of purified biocomponents as carvone, menthone, menthofuran and pulegone from Mentha spp.

Abstract

Medicinal plants are attractive sources in the search of bioactive compounds in the treatment of infectious diseases. Considering that the infectious agent often develops resistance to existing treatments rapidly, the searches for such compounds are a never-ending process. One such infection, caused by Candida spp. is candidiasis, which is a public health problem. Additionally, many strains have resistance to traditional therapies. Therefore, we tested the antifungal activity of four compounds present in Mentha spp. with promising antifungal precedents. We measured inhibition of growth by microdilution, disruption of biofilm viewed by electron microscopy, inhibition of germ tube formation by optical microscopy and toxicity on HaCaT cells. Tests showed that the compounds tested had antifungal activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.5 mg/mL, at least, 50% of biofilm inhibition in the 0.5 mg/mL concentration, an inhibition of polymorphism to 86% and the changes in the cell envelope of yeast (SEM) and cell viability above 50% among the Candida strains tested. Therefore, the compounds exhibit promising antifungal properties and provide a reasonable therapeutic window to be used in association with other traditional antimitotic.

Anti-Candida Activity of Essential Oils from Lamiaceae Plants from the Mediterranean Area and the Middle East

“…Thymol, carvacrol, and 1,8-cineole were reported to be effective in inhibiting germ tube formation, an initial stage in the transition from yeast to hyphae, with an efficacy comparable to that of the “quorum sensing” molecule farnesol [ 129 ]. In another study carried out by Boni et al [ 130 ], pulegone and carvone were found to be highly active molecules in blocking the progress of biofilm formation and in damaging mature biofilms at low concentrations. These findings can account for the anti-virulence activity of EOs shown in Table 3 .…”

“…All synergistic combinations can be ascribed to the cell wall or cell membrane disruption mediated by the EO, which enhances penetration of antifungal drugs across the cell barriers [ 130 , 134 ].…”

Health Benefits and Pharmacological Properties of Carvone

“…Carvone has emerged as a promising antifungal compound. Its application extends from the screening of basic properties against different fungi strains and mycotoxins, to an application designed in the food industry, in particular food packaging [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ] ( Table 3 ).…”

“…Carvone has emerged as a promising antifungal compound. Its application extends from the screening of basic properties against different fungi strains and mycotoxins, to an application designed in the food industry, in particular food packaging [16][17][18][19][20][21] (Table 3). In their ultimate goal to develop antifungal poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films for food packaging applications, Boonruang and collaborators [16] used (R)-(−)-carvone in their study.…”

“…), and dermatophytes ( Trichophyton spp., Epidermophyton floccosum , and Microsporum spp.) [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The action of carvone on germ tube formation and fungi biofilm was reported.…”