title: Antimicrobial activity of Mentha piperita and Saturenja hortensis in a murine model of cutaneous protothecosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To date there is no defined pharmacologic treatment protocol available against cutaneous protothecosis, which is difficult to combat using conventional drugs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our experiment aimed to comparatively investigate the effect of two essential oils (Mentha piperita and Saturenja hortensis) against cutaneous protothecosis experimentally induced by Prototheca zopfii in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunosuppressed BALB/c female mice, were divided into six experimental groups, infected with P. zopfii, and then treated for 21 days against the infection. The effectiveness of the different treatments was assessed clinically and histologically by quantifying the degree of inflammation (immunohistochemical quantification of macrophages, T lymphocytes and neutrophils) and fibrosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Skin lesions in experimental protothecosis from non-treated mice were more severe as compared to the four groups of treated animals. Both M. piperita and S. hortensis have proved to be efficient in vivo in the treatment of cutaneous protothecosis by reducing the clinical signs and significantly reducing the degree of inflammation (P<0.05 for the number of macrophages, T lymphocytes and neutrophils) and fibrosis as compared to untreated animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interestingly, our study shows that M. piperita and S. hortensis could represent a potential source of natural antimicrobial products in the treatment of cutaneous protothecosis.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănăştur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouari
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănăştur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Electronic address: pompeibolfa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bolfa
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănăştur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borza
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănăştur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nadăş
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănăştur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cătoi
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănăştur Street, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fiţ
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007239:Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D036142:Mentha piperita / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011525:Prototheca / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity; D031362:Satureja / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Animal model; Antimicrobial; Antimicrobien; Modèle animal; Natural products; Produit naturel; Protothecosis; Protothécose; Therapy; Thérapie