title: Antifungal activity of essential oils from leaves and flowers of Inula viscosa (Asteraceae) by Apulian region.
abstract: Some essential oils from several plants (Artemisia verlotorum, Lavandula augustifolia, Ocimum gratissimum) have proved to have acaricidal, antifungal and antibacterial activity. Inula viscosa Ait. (Asteraceae), a plant growing spontaneously in the Mediterranean area, is currently used by popular medicine for its therapeutic effects. Flavonoids, azulenes, sesquiterpenes, and essential oils have been isolated and identified from its leaves. This paper reports the results of the composition and antifungal activity in vitro against dermatophytes and Candida spp. of the four essential oils obtained by steam distillation of the leaves, flowers, whole plant and whole plants without flower extracts of I. viscosa. All the extracts proved to have a significant antifungal activity against dermatophytes even at low concentrations (0.01 mg/ml). The leaf extracts exhibited the greatest antifungal efficacy. The high concentration of the sesquiterpene (carboxyeudesmadiene), occurring in the leaf extracts, may explain its greater antifungal activity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Sanità e Benessere degli Animali, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Italy. c.m.cafarchia@veterinaria.uniba.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cafarchia
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Laurentis
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Milillo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Losacco
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Puccini
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D006358:Hot Temperature; D038143:Inula / Q000737:chemistry*; D007558:Italy; D008864:Microsporum / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000187:drug effects*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010938:Plant Oils; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D014867:Water