The antifungal and antibiofilm activity of Cymbopogon nardus essential oil and citronellal on clinical strains of Candida albicans

Objective This study investigated the antifungal and antibiofilm activity of Cymbopogon nardus essential oil (EO) and its major compound, citronellal, in association with miconazole and chlorhexidine on clinical strains of Candida albicans . The likely mechanism(s) of action of C. nardus EO and citr...

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Published in:Brazilian journal of microbiology 2022-09, Vol.53 (3), p.1231-1240
Main Authors: Trindade, Leonardo Antunes, Cordeiro, Laísa Vilar, de Figuerêdo Silva, Daniele, Figueiredo, Pedro Thiago Ramalho, de Pontes, Marcela Lins Cavalcanti, de Oliveira Lima, Edeltrudes, de Albuquerque Tavares Carvalho, Alessandra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acyclic Monoterpenes
Aldehydes
Antifungal activity
Antifungal Agents - chemistry
Antifungal Agents - pharmacology
Bioavailability
Biofilms
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Candida albicans
Cell membranes
Cell walls
Chemical control
Chlorhexidine
Chlorhexidine - pharmacology
Citronellal
Clinical Microbiology - Research Paper
Cymbopogon - chemistry
Cymbopogon nardus
Drugs
Ergosterol
Essential oils
Food Microbiology
Fungicides
Gas chromatography
Life Sciences
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectroscopy
Medical Microbiology
Miconazole
Miconazole - pharmacology
Microbial Ecology
Microbial Genetics and Genomics
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Microbiology
Minimum inhibitory concentration
Mycology
Natural products
Oils & fats
Oils, Volatile - chemistry
Oils, Volatile - pharmacology
Sorbitol
Toxicity
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Summary:Objective This study investigated the antifungal and antibiofilm activity of Cymbopogon nardus essential oil (EO) and its major compound, citronellal, in association with miconazole and chlorhexidine on clinical strains of Candida albicans . The likely mechanism(s) of action of C. nardus EO and citronellal was further determined. Materials and methods The EO was chemically characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antifungal activity (MIC/MFC) and antibiofilm effects of C. nardus EO and citronellal were determined by the microdilution method, and their likely mechanism(s) of action was determined by the sorbitol and ergosterol assays. Then, the samples were tested for a potential association with standard drugs through the checkerboard technique. Miconazole and chlorhexidine were used as positive controls and the assays were performed in triplicate. Results The GC-MS analysis tentatively identified citronellal as the major compound in C. nardus EO. Both samples showed antifungal activity, with MIC of 256 µg/mL, as compared to 128 µg/mL and 8 µg/mL of miconazole and chlorhexidine, respectively. C. nardus EO and citronellal effectively inhibited biofilm formation ( p < 0.05) and disrupted preformed biofilms ( p < 0.0001). They most likely interact with the cell membrane, but not the cell wall, and did not present any synergistic activity when associated with standard drugs. Conclusion C. nardus EO and citronellal showed strong in vitro antifungal and antibiofilm activity on C. albicans . Clinical relevance Natural products have been historically bioprospected for novel solutions to control fungal biofilms. Our data provide relevant insights into the potential of C. nardus EO and citronellal for further clinical testing. However, additional bioavailability and toxicity studies must be carried out before these products can be used for the chemical control of oral biofilms.
ISSN:1517-8382
1678-4405
DOI:10.1007/s42770-022-00740-2