Affiliation:
1. Department of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology Centro Universitario de Plasencia, Universidad de Extremadura Plasencia Spain
2. Department of Nursing Centro universitario de Plasencia, Universidad de Extremadura Plasencia Spain
Abstract
Abstract
Aims
This work examines the available scientific evidence about the efficiency of essential oils (EO) as an alternative therapy to traditional treatment of fungal infections, including onychomycosis, assessing the effect of the three EO most frequently studied for their antifungal activity (thyme, cinnamon and tea tree EO) against three causative agents of fungal diseases in humans: Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex and Candida albicans.
Methods and Results
The PRISMA statement protocol was followed to conduct a bibliographical search and 54 articles that met all the inclusion criteria were retrieved. Differences were observed in the MIC and MFC values depending on the micro-organism strain and the EO used. The lowest MIC were observed with Cinnamomum zeylanicum EO (0.013–1120 μl ml−1) against the three micro-organisms. For MFC, the lowest value was found for Thymus vulgaris EO (4.2 μl ml−1) against Trichophyton rubrum.
Conclusions
The antifungal effects of EO could be a very promising solution to overcome the therapeutic shortcomings of antimycotic medication. More experiments are needed to examine the properties of these oils to devise effective and nonaggressive therapies for treatment of dermatophytosis.
Significance and Impact of Study
The results indicate that EO remain good candidates for future treatments and could provide a solution for failed medications and/or adverse reactions to current pharmacological treatments.
Funder
Extremadura Regional Government and the European Regional Development Fund
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,General Medicine,Biotechnology
Cited by
5 articles.
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