Antifungal activity of the essential oils and components in vitro and in vivo on experimentally induced dermatomycoses at rats

Abstract

Antifungal activity of the six essential oils (Mentha spicata, Ocimum basilicum, Lavandula angustifolia, Salvia officinalis, Citrus limon and C. aurantium) and five main components (camphor, menthol, linalool, limonene and 1,8-cineole) were tested in vitro against three dermatomycetes, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, and T. tonsurans. The in vivo evaluation of the toxicological and antifungal activity of the six essential oils and their components were made on 2-month-old male Wistar rats. We examined the therapeutic potency against experimentally induced dermatomycoses in rats, using the most frequent dermatomycete, T. mentagrophytes. The therapeutic efficacy of a 1% solution of the essential oils and their components as well as the commercial preparation bifonazole were evaluated. Antifungal activity of essential oils and components showed potential against dermatomycets in vitro and in vivo. The most promise oils and components could be S. officinalis and L. angustifolia and menthol which showed very good therapeutic and antifungal effect in vivo.