Antifungal Efficacy of Four Different Concentrations of the Essential Oil of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Canela) against Candida albicans: An In Vitro Study

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare in vitro the antifungal efficacy of the essential oil of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Canela) (EOC) at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% against strains of Candida albicans ATCC 10231. Materials and Methods: The design was experimental, in vitro, prospective, and longitudinal study, having a sample of n = 30 petri dishes per six groups. The test was conducted in the microbiology laboratory of the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal. The essential oil was prepared by steam distillation, which means that the pressure steam enters in connection with the plant cells and breaks them, releasing the essence and trapping it in drops of water. Cinnamon essential oil was obtained using the hydrodistillation method, subsequently the oil obtained was dehydrated with sodium sulfate and then filtered at 0.22 mu m. Then the vials were stored at a temperature of 4 degrees C. Finally, Candida albicans ATCC 10231 was used as the biological material. Antifungal efficacy was measured by the Kirby-Bauer method (disk diffusion). Results: It was found that in the 24-h group the concentration that had the greatest antifungal effect was 100% EOC with a mean of 22.1 +/- 11 mm; however, the lowest antifungal activity was seen in the 25% EOC with 17.9 +/- 1.6 mm. On the contrary, in the 48-h group, it was shown that the highest antifungal efficacy was also observed in the 100% EOC with an average of 31.2 +/- 3.2 mm, but the lowest antifungal activity was in the 25% EOC with 22.6 +/- 1.7 mm. Although in both groups, both at 24 and 48 h, nystatin was the one with the lowest antifungal efficacy 15.1 +/- 1.0 and 19.9 +/- 0.1 mm, respectively. Conclusions: EOC had a better statistically significant antifungal effect compared to nystatin. Otherwise, on analysis of the results in different concentrations, the EOC showed a directly proportional antifungal effectiveness as the concentration against the strains of C. albicans ATCC 10231 increased, compared to nystatin, suggesting its potential use as a possible attractive therapeutic alternative for the control of diseases caused by strains of C. albicans resistant to nystatin.