Effects of Mentha suaveolens Essential Oil Alone or in Combination with Other Drugs in Candida albicans

Abstract

Candidosis is the most important cause of fungal infections in humans. The yeast Candida albicans can form biofilms, and it is known that microbial biofilms play an important role in human diseases and are very difficult to treat. The prolonged treatment with drugs has often resulted in failure and resistance. Due to the emergence of multidrug resistance, alternatives to conventional antimicrobial therapy are needed. This study aims to analyse the effects induced by essential oil of Mentha suaveolens Ehrh (EOMS) on Candida albicans and its potential synergism when used in combination with conventional drugs. Morphological differences between control and EOMS treated yeast cells or biofilms were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM resp.,). In order to reveal the presence of cell cycle alterations, flow cytometry analysis was carried out as well. The synergic action of EOMS was studied with the checkerboard method, and the cellular damage induced by different treatments was analysed by TEM. The results obtained have demonstrated both the effects of EOMS on C. albicans yeast cells and biofilms and the synergism of EOMS when used in combination with conventional antifungal drugs as fluconazole (FLC) and micafungin (MCFG), and therefore we can hypothesize on its potential use in therapy. Further studies are necessary to know its mechanism of action.

Effects of essential oil combinations on pathogenic yeasts and moulds

“…In our experiments only "borderline synergism" (FICI values of 0.5 at the border of synergistic and additive effect) was found. Several samples are found in the literature for the synergistic activity of EOs and antifungal agents, also in case of resistant fungi [16,28,30]. We will also broaden our combination experiments to this field, because literature data and our results presented here both suggest that EOs in the right concentration can give an alternative or complementary therapy in the treatment of fungal infections.…”

Effects of Water Stress and Modern Biostimulants on Growth and Quality Characteristics of Mint

“…Mentha longifolia L. belongs to the family Lamiaceae and naturally occurs in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and most Arabian countries. The fresh/dried plants are mainly used as an herbal medicine for the treatment of indigestion, menstrual pain, coughs, asthma, fever, and headaches [2,3]. The fresh leaves are used in soft drinks and as garnishes for salads in some countries.…”

Properties and limits of some essential oils: chemical characterisation, antimicrobial activity, interaction with antibiotics and cytotoxicity

“…The combination of antimicrobials with EOs could represent a possible alternative strategy to increase the efficacy of antibacterial and antifungal drugs. A clear synergic effect of essential oils with fluconazole has been reported against C. albicans (Stringaro et al 2014) and with different antibacterial substances towards gram-negative bacteria (Toroglu 2007(Toroglu , 2011. FICI values reported in Table 2 indicate a positive interaction between gentamicin and fluconazole with TTO, CDO and EOMS against all bacteria and fungi tested, respectively.…”