Anti-candidal activity of essential oils alone and in combination with amphotericin B or fluconazole against multi-drug resistant isolates of Candida albicans. 2012

Mohd Sajjad Ahmad Khan, and Abida Malik, and Iqbal Ahmad
Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. ahmadiqbal8@yahoo.co.in

Therapy for candidiasis is becoming problematic due to the toxicities of currently available antifungal agents and the increasing prevalence of resistance among the etiologic agents. Therefore, new antifungals and alternative approaches are needed. In this study, 20 fluconazole-resistant strains of Candida albicans were found to have varying levels of resistance to other azoles, i.e., itraconazole (MIC of 4-128 μg/ml) and ketoconazole (2-256 μg/ml). In addition, 13 of these isolates appeared resistant to amphotericin B (32-128 μg/ml). A total of 21 plant essential oils were screened for their antifungal activity against these multi-drug resistant isolates. The oils of Cymbopogon martini, i.e., citral and cinnamaldehyde, exhibited strong inhibitory activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC(50)) ranging from 90-100 μg/ml. The test oils were more effective than fluconazole and amphotericin B in inhibiting azole- and amphotericin B-resistant, as well as amphotericin B-susceptible isolates. The test oils and especially eugenol, exhibited significant synergy with fluconazole or amphotericin B against the test isolates. These findings suggest the possible effective use of certain oils alone or in combination with fluconazole or amphotericin B, against multi-drug resistant isolates of C. albicans.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008826 Microbial Sensitivity Tests Any tests that demonstrate the relative efficacy of different chemotherapeutic agents against specific microorganisms (i.e., bacteria, fungi, viruses). Bacterial Sensitivity Tests,Drug Sensitivity Assay, Microbial,Minimum Inhibitory Concentration,Antibacterial Susceptibility Breakpoint Determination,Antibiogram,Antimicrobial Susceptibility Breakpoint Determination,Bacterial Sensitivity Test,Breakpoint Determination, Antibacterial Susceptibility,Breakpoint Determination, Antimicrobial Susceptibility,Fungal Drug Sensitivity Tests,Fungus Drug Sensitivity Tests,Sensitivity Test, Bacterial,Sensitivity Tests, Bacterial,Test, Bacterial Sensitivity,Tests, Bacterial Sensitivity,Viral Drug Sensitivity Tests,Virus Drug Sensitivity Tests,Antibiograms,Concentration, Minimum Inhibitory,Concentrations, Minimum Inhibitory,Inhibitory Concentration, Minimum,Inhibitory Concentrations, Minimum,Microbial Sensitivity Test,Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations,Sensitivity Test, Microbial,Sensitivity Tests, Microbial,Test, Microbial Sensitivity,Tests, Microbial Sensitivity
D009822 Oils, Volatile Oils which evaporate readily. The volatile oils occur in aromatic plants, to which they give odor and other characteristics. Most volatile oils consist of a mixture of two or more TERPENES or of a mixture of an eleoptene (the more volatile constituent of a volatile oil) with a stearopten (the more solid constituent). The synonym essential oils refers to the essence of a plant, as its perfume or scent, and not to its indispensability. Essential Oil,Oil, Essential,Oil, Volatile,Oils, Essential,Volatile Oil,Essential Oils,Volatile Oils
D002176 Candida albicans A unicellular budding fungus which is the principal pathogenic species causing CANDIDIASIS (moniliasis). Candida albicans var. stellatoidea,Candida stellatoidea,Dematium albicans,Monilia albicans,Myceloblastanon albicans,Mycotorula albicans,Parasaccharomyces albicans,Procandida albicans,Procandida stellatoidea,Saccharomyces albicans,Syringospora albicans
D004357 Drug Synergism The action of a drug in promoting or enhancing the effectiveness of another drug. Drug Potentiation,Drug Augmentation,Augmentation, Drug,Augmentations, Drug,Drug Augmentations,Drug Potentiations,Drug Synergisms,Potentiation, Drug,Potentiations, Drug,Synergism, Drug,Synergisms, Drug
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000666 Amphotericin B Macrolide antifungal antibiotic produced by Streptomyces nodosus obtained from soil of the Orinoco river region of Venezuela. Amphocil,Amphotericin,Amphotericin B Cholesterol Dispersion,Amphotericin B Colloidal Dispersion,Fungizone
D000935 Antifungal Agents Substances that destroy fungi by suppressing their ability to grow or reproduce. They differ from FUNGICIDES, INDUSTRIAL because they defend against fungi present in human or animal tissues. Anti-Fungal Agents,Antifungal Agent,Fungicides, Therapeutic,Antibiotics, Antifungal,Therapeutic Fungicides,Agent, Antifungal,Anti Fungal Agents,Antifungal Antibiotics
D015725 Fluconazole Triazole antifungal agent that is used to treat oropharyngeal CANDIDIASIS and cryptococcal MENINGITIS in AIDS. Apo-Fluconazole,Béagyne,Diflucan,Fluc Hexal,FlucoLich,Flucobeta,Fluconazol AL,Fluconazol AbZ,Fluconazol Stada,Fluconazol von ct,Fluconazol-Isis,Fluconazol-ratiopharm,Flunazul,Fungata,Lavisa,Loitin,Neofomiral,Oxifungol,Solacap,Triflucan,UK-49858,Zonal,Apo Fluconazole,Fluconazol Isis,Fluconazol ratiopharm,UK 49858,UK49858
D026141 Drug Resistance, Multiple, Fungal The ability of fungi to resist or to become tolerant to several structurally and functionally distinct drugs simultaneously. This resistance phenotype may be attributed to multiple gene mutations. Drug Resistance, Extensively, Fungal,Extensively Antifungal Drug Resistance,Multidrug Resistance, Fungal,Multiple Antifungal Drug Resistance
D031743 Cymbopogon A plant genus of the family POACEAE which is a source of citronella oil and lemongrass oil. Citronella,Lemongrass,Andropogon nardus,Cymbopogon nardus,Lemon Grass,Citronellas,Cymbopogons,Grass, Lemon,Grasses, Lemon,Lemon Grasses,Lemongrasses

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