Ethanol extract and essential oil of Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle: in vitro evaluation of the antifungal potencial

• Grant number: 13/19576-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Margarete Teresa Gottardo de Almeida
• Grantee: Luciani Gaspar de Toledo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Candida species are opportunistic pathogens isolated from human biota in the gastrointestinal tract, oral and vaginal mucosa, which can lead to the development of superficial lesions to disseminated infection, especially in cases of immunosuppression. The high toxicity, high cost of treatment and the emergence of resistant strains justify the search for new therapeutic agents. The plant biodiversity is rich in active ingredients that have contributed to the development of new and effective drugs, treatments more economical and easily accessible population. In this sense, the aim of this study is to evaluate the antifungal potential, in vitro, of ethanol extract and essential oil from leaves of Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle (lemongrass) against clinical isolates of Candida spp. It will be considered the species: Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, Candida krusei, Candida parapsilosis and Candida orthopsilosis. The essential oils present in plants of the genus Cymbopogon have been widely studied, but there are few studies involving ethanol extract of Cymbopogon nardus, including the absence of chemical analysis for this extract and no studies involving clinical isolates. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antifungal potential front isolated clinical through microdilution and kill curve analysis, cell viability and interference in biofilms, beside performance of chemical analysis of the ethanol extract and essential oil. Preliminary results from a pilot project performed in our laboratory, such as screening, showed that the essential oil of Cymbopogon nardus has significant antifungal activity against Candida species, including resistant isolates to conventional drugs, such as C. krusei and C. glabrata, which becomes this promising research for the treatment and prevention of candidiasis.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE TOLEDO, LUCIANI GASPAR; DOS SANTOS RAMOS, MATHEUS APARECIDO; SPOSITO, LARISSA; CASTILHO, ELZA MARIA; PAVAN, FERNANDO ROGERIO; LOPES, ERICA DE OLIVEIRA; ZOCOLO, GUILHERME JULIAO; NUNES SILVA, FRANCISCA ALINY; SOARES, TIGRESSA HELENA; DOS SANTOS, ANDRE GONZAGA; et al. Essential Oil of Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle: A Strategy to Combat Fungal Infections Caused by Candida Species. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, v. 17, n. 8, AUG 2016. (13/19576-0)

LUCIANI G. DE TOLEDO; MATHEUS A. S. RAMOS; LARISSA SPÓSITO; ELZA M. CASTILHO; FERNANDO R. PAVAN; ÉRICA O. LOPES; ISABEL C. DA SILVA; GUILHERME J. ZOCOLO; PAULO R. V. RIBEIRO; FERNANDO B. ODA; et al. Profiling the Cymbopogon nardus Ethanol Extract and Its Antifungal Potential against Candida Species with Different Patterns of Resistance. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, v. 31, n. 9, p. 1926-1938, 2020-08-19. (15/23959-7, 16/08559-5, 13/19576-0)