Chemical composition and antimycotic activity of six essential oils (cumin, fennel, manuka, sweet orange, cedar and juniper) against different Candida spp.

Abstract

Candida are commensal yeasts, present in the alimentary tract and mucocutaneous membranes of mammals. Recently, opportunistic Candida infections increased presenting resistances. Essential oils are mixtures of volatile compounds that may show antibacterial and antifungal effects and are important for food and pharmaceutical industry purposes. The aim of this work was to analyse the potential action of sweet orange, cedar, juniper, cumin, fennel and manuka essential oils. The tested oils were chemically characterised by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis. The composition of these formulations suggests that each oil is featured by both specific and common components. The activity of the oils was analysed through Agar Disk Diffusion and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. Their biological performance could be related to the comprehensive set of interactions settled by the natural formulation. Our results demonstrated the efficacy of cumin, fennel and manuka essential oils and supported their application as a natural alternative treatment against Candida spp.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Candida sp.
• essential oil
• Cuminum cyminum
• Foeniculum vulgare dulce
• Leptospermum scoparium

Acknowledgements

The authors thanks to the Flora srl (Pisa, Italy, https://flora.bio/it/) for the purchase of the six essential oils; Prof. Maurizio Aceto (Università del Piemonte Orientale) for his support in the result discussion.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.