Effect of Plant Oils on Candida albicans

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Candida-species, notably Candida albicans, is the major fungal pathogen in humans It is a dimorphic Fungus cap-able of causing superficial mucosal infections, as yell as systemic infections, in immunocompromised individuals. The factors responsible for its pathogenesis are still not fully understood and increasing resistance to commonly used antifungal agents necessitates the search for new formulations. METHODS: The inhibitory effect (3130 different plant oils on Candida albicans isolated from clinical samples was evaluated The antifungal agent fluconazole was used as a positive control. Plant oils were tested at concentrations from 0.03% to 3% (v/v) to determine the minimum inhibitor:), concentration and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) using agar dilution and macro broth dilution assays. RESULTS: Of the 30 plant oils rested, 18 were found to be effective and 12 were ineffective. Based on their MFCs, effective oils were placed into three categories: most effective, moderately effective and least effective. Eucalyptus and peppermint oils were most effective, with MFC values of 0.12% and 0.15% (v/v), respectively. CONCLUSION: The significant antifungal activity of these oils suggests that they could serve as a source of compounds with therapeutic potential against Candida-related infections.