Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin B

Abstract Candida albicans is a common opportunistic pathogen, causing infections ranging from superficial to bloodstream infections. The limited antifungal options and rising drug resistance challenge clinical treatment. We screened 98 essential oils and identified 48 with antifungal activity agains...

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Main Authors: Xin Yuan, Dan Cao, Yanghui Xiang, Xiuzhi Jiang, Jiaying Liu, Kefan Bi, Xu Dong, Tiantian Wu, Ying Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82380-0
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author Xin Yuan
Dan Cao
Yanghui Xiang
Xiuzhi Jiang
Jiaying Liu
Kefan Bi
Xu Dong
Tiantian Wu
Ying Zhang
author_facet Xin Yuan
Dan Cao
Yanghui Xiang
Xiuzhi Jiang
Jiaying Liu
Kefan Bi
Xu Dong
Tiantian Wu
Ying Zhang
author_sort Xin Yuan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Candida albicans is a common opportunistic pathogen, causing infections ranging from superficial to bloodstream infections. The limited antifungal options and rising drug resistance challenge clinical treatment. We screened 98 essential oils and identified 48 with antifungal activity against Candida albicans at 1% concentration, determining their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Of these, 14 maintained fungicidal activity at lower concentrations (0.25% and 0.125%). 5 essential oils (Cinnamon, Satureja montana, Palmarosa, Lemon eucalyptus, and Honey myrtle) showed the highest inhibitory effects on stationary-phase Candida albicans and inhibited hyphae elongation. Synergistic effects were observed when combining Palmarosa with amphotericin B (AmB) against growing-phase Candida albicans, while Cinnamon and Satureja montana with AmB showed superior efficacy against stationary-phase infections. We identified the active components of 5 essential oils using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and found the following main constituents: Cinnamon primarily contains benzyl benzoate and eugenol, Satureja montana is dominated by carvacrol and cymene, Palmarosa features geraniol and geranyl acetate, Lemon eucalyptus includes dl-Isopulegol and citronellal, and Honey myrtle is characterized by citral and neral. Our results may aid in developing more effective antifungal treatments.
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institution DOAJ
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publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
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spelling doaj-art-b60e6424230248e38563b346f95fa5152025-08-20T02:39:38ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111310.1038/s41598-024-82380-0Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin BXin Yuan0Dan Cao1Yanghui Xiang2Xiuzhi Jiang3Jiaying Liu4Kefan Bi5Xu Dong6Tiantian Wu7Ying Zhang8State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineAbstract Candida albicans is a common opportunistic pathogen, causing infections ranging from superficial to bloodstream infections. The limited antifungal options and rising drug resistance challenge clinical treatment. We screened 98 essential oils and identified 48 with antifungal activity against Candida albicans at 1% concentration, determining their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Of these, 14 maintained fungicidal activity at lower concentrations (0.25% and 0.125%). 5 essential oils (Cinnamon, Satureja montana, Palmarosa, Lemon eucalyptus, and Honey myrtle) showed the highest inhibitory effects on stationary-phase Candida albicans and inhibited hyphae elongation. Synergistic effects were observed when combining Palmarosa with amphotericin B (AmB) against growing-phase Candida albicans, while Cinnamon and Satureja montana with AmB showed superior efficacy against stationary-phase infections. We identified the active components of 5 essential oils using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and found the following main constituents: Cinnamon primarily contains benzyl benzoate and eugenol, Satureja montana is dominated by carvacrol and cymene, Palmarosa features geraniol and geranyl acetate, Lemon eucalyptus includes dl-Isopulegol and citronellal, and Honey myrtle is characterized by citral and neral. Our results may aid in developing more effective antifungal treatments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82380-0Candida albicansStationary phaseEssential oilsAntimicrobial activityDrug combinationGC-MS
spellingShingle Xin Yuan
Dan Cao
Yanghui Xiang
Xiuzhi Jiang
Jiaying Liu
Kefan Bi
Xu Dong
Tiantian Wu
Ying Zhang
Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin B
Scientific Reports
Candida albicans
Stationary phase
Essential oils
Antimicrobial activity
Drug combination
GC-MS
title Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin B
title_full Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin B
title_fullStr Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin B
title_full_unstemmed Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin B
title_short Antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin B
title_sort antifungal activity of essential oils and their potential synergistic effect with amphotericin b
topic Candida albicans
Stationary phase
Essential oils
Antimicrobial activity
Drug combination
GC-MS
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82380-0
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