Atividade antifúngica do óleo essencial de Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt ex Bor sobre dermatófitos do gênero Trichophyton / Antifungal activity of the essential oil of Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt ex Bor on dermatophytes of the genus Trichophyton

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

T. rubrum and T. mentagrophytes are the main causative agents of dermatophytosis, a fungal infection that affects keratinized tissues of humans and animals. Considered one of the most diagnosed diseases in the world, research projects aiming the searching for new products with antifungal activity are necessary to overcome the difficulty in treating these fungal infections. In this context, the products from medicinal plants are highlighted, especially essential oils which have broad recognition of their antimicrobial power by many researchers. Thus, this study aims to identify the components of the essential oil of Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt ex Bor and investigate its antifungal activity against 16 strains of T. rubrum and 8 ones of T. mentagrophytes. The analysis of the oil chemical composition was performed by gas chromatography-mass scpectrometry (GC-MS). The antifungal tests were consisted of microbiological screening, determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC), analysis of the essential oils effects on mycelial growth, germination of fungal spores, in fungal viability within macro and micromorphology of dermatophytes, in the cell wall (test with sorbitol) and the cell membrane (cell lysis test). Results of GC-MS showed 18 compounds, citronellal (23.6 %), geraniol (18.8 %) and citronellol (11.74 %) were the majority constituents present in the essential oil. At the screening, the oil inhibited all strains, with zones of growth inhibition of 24-28 mm in diameter. The MIC was 312 μg/mL and CFM was 2500 μg/mL for 92% of the strains tested. The essential oil at 156, 312, 625 and 2500 μg/mL strongly prevented mycelial growth. In these same concentrations, the oil showed a strong inhibitory power on the conidia germination of both species. In the test for fungal viability was observed fungicidal effect of the essential oil in all concentrations. The main micromorphological changes in the dermatophytes induced by the oil were decreased conidia genesis and changes in shape and pigmentation of the hyphae. The colonies showed some changes in appearance and pigmentation. The results of sorbitol test suggest the antifungal action of the product does not directly involve the cell wall. The essential oil caused cell lysis, suggesting its actuation could probably involve the fungal plasma membrane. Given this, it is concluded that the essential oil of C. winterianus showed a strong inhibitory activity against dermatophytes and thus can be considered as a potential product with antifungal properties, especially for the treatment of dermatophytosis.

ASSUNTO(S)

cymbopogon Óleo essencial trichophyton essential oil cymbopogon trichophyton farmacologia

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