African Journal of
Microbiology Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Microbiol. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0808
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJMR
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 5228

Full Length Research Paper

Essential oils against Candida spp: in vitro antifungal activity of Origanum vulgare

Marlete Brum Cleff1*, Isabel Madrid2, Ana Raquel Meinerz2, Mário Carlos Araújo Meireles2, João Roberto Braga de Mello1, Maria Regina Rodrigues3 and Jesús Jaime Hernández Escareño4
1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary, UFRGS-Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 2Department of Preventive Veterinary, Faculty of Veterinary, Federal University of Pelotas - Campus Universitário, s/n° - Caixa Postal 354, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. 3Department of Organic Chemistry, Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Pelotas, Campus Universitário, s/n° - Caixa Postal 354, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. 4 Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. UANL. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Av. Universidad S/N, Ciudad Universitaria. San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León. C.P. 66451 México.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 08 February 2013
  •  Published: 14 May 2013

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity and determine chemical composition of Origanum vulgare essential oils. Nine Candida albicans (five clinical animal isolates and four ATCC strains), and three non-albicans species were studied; broth microdilution technique (CLSI) was used. Eight samples of commercial O. vulgare were submitted to hydrodistillation (Clevenger), and essential oils obtained were analyzed by gas chromatograph. Values of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 1.0 to 0.065%, the average of MIC50 was 0.62 µL/mL while the average of MIC90 was 5.52 µL/mL and essential oils EO1 and EO8 were the ones with the best results. Results of thymol/carvacrol ratio were, for essential oils (EO) (EO1, 10.20/12.67; EO2, 7.88/0.50; EO3, 6.18/0.71; EO4, 0.58/21.58; EO5, 20.62/1.34; EO6, 21.95/4.71; EO7, 16.68/0.77; EO8, 8.42/9.44), demonstrated that differences between concentrations of thymol and carvacrol influenced MIC. These results indicate that the O. vulgare essential oils evaluated in this study presented growth inhibition activity over Candida spp.

 

Key words: Origanum vulgareCandida spp., essential oil, thymol, carvacrol.