In vitro activity of essential oils extracted from plants used as spices against fluconazole-resistant and fluconazole-susceptible Candida spp.

Abstract

In the present study, the antifungal activity of selected essential oils obtained from plants used as spices was evaluated against both fluconazole-resistant and fluconazole-susceptible Candida spp. The Candida species studied were Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, and Candida krusei. For comparison purposes, they were arranged in groups as C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, and Candida non-albicans. The essential oils were obtained from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Breyn, Lippia graveolens HBK, Ocimum basilicum L., Origanum vulgare L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L., Thymus vulgaris L., and Zingiber officinale. The susceptibility tests were based on the M27-A2 methodology. The chemical composition of the essential oils was obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and by retention indices. The results showed that cinnamon, Mexican oregano, oregano, thyme, and ginger essential oils have different levels of antifungal activity. Oregano and ginger essential oils were found to be the most and the least efficient, respectively. The main finding was that the susceptibilities of fluconazole-resistant C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, and Candida non-albicans to Mexican oregano, oregano, thyme, and ginger essential oils were higher than those of the fluconazole-susceptible yeasts (P<0.05). In contrast, fluconazole-resistant C. albicans and Candida non-albicans were less susceptible to cinnamon essential oil than their fluconazole-susceptible counterparts (P<0.05). A relationship between the yeasts' susceptibilities and the chemical composition of the essential oils studied was apparent when these 2 parameters were compared. Finally, basil, rosemary, and sage essential oils did not show antifungal activity against Candida isolates at the tested concentrations.

Susceptibilities of Candida albicans Mouth Isolates to Antifungal Agents, Essentials Oils and Mouth Rinses

“…In this study, cinnamon was the most efficient oil. Previous studies recognize that cinnamon oil is an efficient antifungal or anti-candidal agent [36,37,[40][41][42] and have interest as a source of natural products for potential use as alternative drugs to heal many infectious diseases [43][44][45]. Besides cinnamon, other essential oils exhibited high efficacy, as laurel and mint.…”

“…Even in the same species, the essential oil composition can vary greatly, depend on the geographical and environmental conditions, existing numerous chemotypes [44]. One of the factors that difficult the comparison of the results is the absence of standardization of antimicrobial activity assays with essential oils [45].…”

“…These phenotypes differ between them in the econazole susceptibility response: econazole-S isolates were less susceptible to cinnamon (P \ 0.01) and lemon (P \ 0.05) oils than econazole-SDD isolates. Pozzatti et al [45] had reported that fluconazoleresistant C. albicans susceptibility to cinnamon and other essential oils were lower than their fluconazolesusceptible counterparts. In contrast, laurel essential oil had higher (P \ 0.05) antifungal properties against econazole-S yeasts, than against econazole-SDD.…”

Óleos essenciais como substituintes de antibióticos promotores de crescimento em frangos de corte: perfil de soroproteínas e peroxidação lipídica

“…L.), sálvia (Salvia officinalis L.), alecrim (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) e pimenta malagueta (Capsicum frutescens L.), escolhidos de acordo com sua disponibilidade e viabilidade. O processamento, extração e composição química dos óleos essenciais estão descritos em detalhes por POZZATTI et al (2008). A extração da pimenta foi realizada segundo técnica descrita por LI et al (2009).…”

Phytotoxicity of Rosmarinus officinalisL. and Salvia officinalis L. to Control the Noxious Weed, Panicum turgidum Forssk.

“…Meanwhile, there is a great demand for compounds with selective toxicity that can be readily degraded by either the plant or by the soil microorganisms which provide new strategies for maintaining and increasing agricultural production in the future (Inderjit and Keating, 1999 (Wang et al, 2008), antibacterial activity (Azfali, 2009), insecticidal toxicity ((Papachristos and Stampoulos, 2004), anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive properties (Takaki et al, 2008), antifungal activity (Ozcan and Chalchat, 2008;Pozzatti et al, 2008) and only, in recent years have been commercialized as pest control products (Isman, 2000). Additionally, Salvia officinalis L. has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy.…”