title: Antimicrobial activity of Croton cajucara Benth linalool-rich essential oil on artificial biofilms and planktonic microorganisms.
abstract: We have previously demonstrated that a linalool-rich essential oil from Croton cajucara Benth presents leishmanicidal activity. In the present study, we demonstrate that this essential oil inhibits the growth of reference samples of Candida albicans, Lactobacillus casei, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus sobrinus, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus mutans cell suspensions, all of them associated with oral cavity disease. The purified linalool fraction was only inhibitory for C. albicans. Microbes of saliva specimens from human individuals with fixed orthodontic appliances, as well as the reference strains, were used to construct an artificial biofilm which was exposed to linalool or to the essential oil. As in microbial suspensions, the essential oil was toxic for all the microorganisms, while the purified linalool fraction mainly inhibited the growth of C. albicans. The compounds of the essential oil were separated by thin layer chromatography and exposed to the above-cited microorganisms. In this analysis, the proliferation of the bacterial cells was inhibited by still uncharacterized molecules, and linalool was confirmed as the antifungal component of the essential oil. The effects of linalool on the cell biology of C. albicans were evaluated by electron microscopy, which showed that linalool induced a reduction in cell size and abnormal germination. Neither the crude essential oil nor the purified linalool fraction is toxic to mammalian cells, which suggests that the essential oil or its purified components may be useful to control the microbial population in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ortodontia and Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Alviano
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Mendonça-Filho
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Alviano
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Bizzo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Souto-Padrón
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bolognese
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Alviano
authors.forename: M M G
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000187:drug effects*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects*; D029802:Croton / Q000737:chemistry; D003436:Croton Oil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000187:drug effects; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016910:Orthodontic Brackets; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000187:drug effects; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000187:drug effects; D016986:Streptococcus sobrinus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D003436:Croton Oil; C018584:linalool