Antifungal and antioxidant effect of the lachnophyllum ester, isolated from the essential oil of Baccharis trinervis (Lam.) Pers., against dermatophytes fungi

Abstract

ABSTRACT Dermatophytes are hyaline fungi that parasitize the keratinized tissue of humans and animals causing mycotic infections. Natural products are promising molecules for the development of new antifungal drugs, due to the phenomenon of resistance and toxicity. This study reports the isolation and identification of lachnophyllum ester and evaluates its antioxidant, antifungal and modulatory activities against dermatophytes fungi. Lachnophyllum ester was obtained using a silica gel column chromatography of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Baccharis trinervis and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial activity was determined by the broth microdilution method. The modulatory activity assays were performed by the checkerboard technique using lachnophyllum ester and ketoconazole as standard. The lachnophyllum ester exhibited good antioxidant activity as measured by a β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching system, with 71.43% ± 0.01% inhibition rate. In addition, it showed antifungal activity against Trichophyton rubrum and Microsporum canis strains. In the modulatory assay, interaction between lachnophyllum ester and ketoconazole was synergistic, reducing the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the antifungal drug and modulating its antifungal action against dermatophyte strains. In conclusion, lachnophyllum ester has been shown to act as a natural antioxidant compound, as well as an antimicrobial alternative against dermatophyte fungi of the genus Trichophyton and Microsporum.