article · Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research
Skin fungal infections pose ongoing clinical challenges, prompting the search for alternative plant-based antifungal agents. Essential oils from Coleus barbatus and Corymbia citriodora leaves harvested in Tanzania were obtained by steam distillation and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main constituents found in Coleus barbatus included camphor, 1,3,8-p-menthatriene, thymol, and camphene. In contrast, Corymbia citriodora oil was dominated by p-menth-8-en-3-ol. In laboratory agar-well diffusion tests against several fungal pathogens, individual oils displayed varying strengths. Coleus barbatus oil proved more potent against certain Candida isolates and Microsporum gypseum, whereas Corymbia citriodora oil acted more strongly against Trichophyton rubrum and a specific Candida strain. Both oils demonstrated comparable action against Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton interdigitale. Combining the two essential oils enhanced overall antifungal performance against tested dermatophytes and Candida species.
Fungal skin infections frequently challenge existing treatment options. Demonstrating that combining essential oils from traditionally used Tanzanian plants enhances efficacy against common culprits like Candida and dermatophytes provides baseline evidence for developing natural, alternative topical antifungal solutions.
This research is at an early laboratory stage, demonstrating in vitro inhibition against various skin fungal pathogens. The findings could eventually interest pharmaceutical or personal care developers formulating topical antifungal products, but further efficacy, formulation, and safety studies are required before real-world application.
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New antifungal agents are required to address the challenges of treating skin fungal infections. Coleus barbatus and Corymbia citriodora are used traditionally to treat skin fungal infections. The antifungal efficacy of essential oils (EOs) of these plants against fungal pathogens has been reported, however, there is no report on the antifungal efficacy of their combination. This study aimed to determine the chemical compositions and antifungal activity of the combined EOs of the leaves of C. barbatus and C. citriodora from Tanzania. The EOs were extracted by steam distillation and compounds were analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, Candida krusei, Trichophyton interdigitale, Trichophyton rubrum, and Microsporum gypseum was assessed using agar-well diffusion method. Means of inhibition zone diameters of different treatments of EOs were compared by One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc test. Major components of C. barbatus EO were camphor (17.83%), 1,3,8-p-menthatriene (13.57%), thymol (10.43%), and camphene (10.18%). The major phytoconstituents of C. citriodora EO were (1R,2R,5S)-2-isopropenyl-5-methylcyclohexanol (p-menth-8-en-3-ol) (75.43%) and (1S,2R,5R)-2-(2-Hydroxypropan-2-yl)-5-methylcyclohexanol (5.92%). The C. barbatus EO was more active against C. tropicalis, C. albicans clinical isolates, and M. gypseum while C. citriodora EO was more active against C. albicans 23Q (NR-29341) and T. rubrum. The EOs of both plants exhibited similar activity against A. niger and T. interdigitale. Combinations of the EOs improved activity against dermatophytes and Candida species; therefore, further studies are recommended to investigate the antifungal efficacy of combined C. barbatus and C. citriodora EOs.
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DOI: 10.26538/tjnpr/v9i5.3
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