title: Lavandula luisieri essential oil as a source of antifungal drugs.
abstract: This work reports the antifungal activity of Lavandula luisieri essential oils against yeast, dermatophyte and Aspergillus strains responsible for human infections and food contamination. The oil's cytotoxicity and its effect on the yeast-mycelium transition in Candida albicans, an important virulence factor, were also evaluated. Analyses by GC and GC/MS showed a peculiar composition of irregular monoterpenes. Significant differences between the samples occurred in the amounts of 1,8-cineole, fenchone and trans-α-necrodyl acetate. The oil with higher amounts of irregular monoterpenes was the most effective. The influence of the oils on the dimorphic transition in C. albicans was also studied through the germ tube inhibition assay. Filamentation was completely inhibited at concentrations sixteen times lower than the minimal inhibitory concentration. The results support the use of L. luiseiri essential oils in the development of new phytopharmaceuticals and food preservatives and emphasise its antifungal properties at concentrations not cytotoxic or with very low detrimental effects on mammalian cells.
authors.affiliation: Center of Pharmaceutical Studies, Faculty of Pharmacy, Health Science Campus, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000-354, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuzarte
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cavaleiro
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Canhoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salgueiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D027523:Lavandula / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils