Antifungal Activity And Synergistic Effect Of Essential Oil From Lippia Alba Against Trichophyton Rubrum And Candida Spp.

Research related to the prospecting of substances isolated from plants with antimicrobial potential, especially against Candida strains, is an important strategy for developing alternative treatments against infections caused by fungi, since new strains of such microorganisms are associated with serious hospital infections. Studies on the antifungal capacity of essential oils have received considerable attention from the pharmaceutical sector, owing to the wide variety of compounds present in samples with pharmacological properties and the alarming increase in mycotic infections in individuals immunocompromised by Candida spp. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining the chemical composition of the essential oil of Lippia alba, evaluating its antifungal activity and modulatory effect, and investigating its toxicity in vivo and in vitro using Artemia salina and blood cells, respectively. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation, and its chemical composition was determined using CG-EM and CG-DIC. Antifungal activity was analyzed via the broth microdilution method, using dermatophyte and yeast strains. Synergistic activity was determined using the checkerboard technique, with ketoconazole and amphotericin B as the standards for dermatophytes and yeasts, respectively. The main constituents of the essential oil were sabinene (19.34 %), (E)-caryophyllene (18.21 %), limonene (16.47 %), and.-elemene (9.09 %). The essential oil showed low toxicity and intrinsic activity against dermatophytes, a synergistic effect against all strains of Trichophyton rubrum when combined with ketoconazole, and a synergistic effect with amphotericin B against two strains of Candida tropicalis and one of Candida parapsilosis.