title: In vitro and in vivo antidermatophytic activities of some Iranian medicinal plants.
abstract: In the last decades, the number of people suffering from dermatophytoses has seriously increased, which may be due to the development of resistant strains to a range of antifungal drugs. The present study was aimed to evaluate the antidermatophytic properties of eight extracts from the selected spices and herbs, which were ethno-medicinally used in Iran against Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton interdigitale, Microsporum canis, and Microsporum gypseum (10 strain of each). The in vitro antifungal activities of the extracts from four spices and four plants were evaluated by the broth macro dilution method against four dermatophyte strains. In addition, the in vivo therapeutic effects of Myrtus communis L. and Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume extracts (the most active extracts) on dermatophytosis induced by M. canis and T. mentagrophytes in guinea pigs were evaluated. Results of in vitro antifungal assay revealed that all the tested extracts demonstrated both fungistatic and fungicidal activities with the geometric mean (GM) MIC ranging from 0.058 to 3.73 mg/ml and GM (MFC) ranging from 0.058 to 7.46 mg/ml, respectively. Two extracts (M. communis and C. zeylanicum) significantly inhibited the growth of all the tested dermatophytes, while other extracts demonstrated weak (MICs of >0.625 mg/ml) to moderate (MICs ranging from 100 to 0.625 mg/ml) activities. In vivo antidermatophytic assay demonstrated that clotrimazole cured T. mentagrophytes and M. canis infection on days 21 and 17, respectively, whereas M. communis and C. zeylanicum extracts significantly (p < 0.05) cured T. mentagrophytes and M. canis infection on days 9 and 13 as well as 9, 11, respectively. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, phenols, and alkaloids in M. communis and alkaloids, flavonoids, and tannins in C. zeylanicum. Findings of the present study also provided the scientific evidence that natural plants could be used in traditional medicine for the prevention and treatment of dermatophytic infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran aminayatollahi@kmu.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Seyyed Amin
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ayatollahi Mousavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdolhasan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kazemi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003883:Arthrodermataceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D064209:Phytochemicals / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D014005:Tinea / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D064209:Phytochemicals; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Antifungal; Cinnamomum zeylanicum; Dermatophytes; Herbs; Myrtus communis; Spices