In Vitro Antifungal Activity of Selected Essential Oils against Drug-Resistant Clinical Aspergillus spp. Strains

Treatment options for aspergillosis include amphotericin B (AMB) and azole compounds, such as itraconazole (ITZ). However, serious side effects related to these antifungal agents are increasingly evident, and resistance continues to increase. Currently, a new trend in drug discovery to overcome this problem is represented by natural products from plants, or their extracts. Particularly, there is a great interest in essential oils (EOs) recognized for their antimicrobial role towards bacteria, fungi and viruses.

In this study, we evaluated the antifungal activity of eleven commercial EOs-clove, eucalyptus, geranium, hybrid lavender, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, neroli, oregano, tea tree and red red thyme-in comparison with AMB and ITZ against Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus and A. niger clinical isolates. Antifungal activity was determined by broth microdilution method, agar diffusion technique, fungistatic and fungicidal activities and vapor contact assay.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis displayed two groups of distinct biosynthetical origin: monoterpenes dominated the chemical composition of the most oils. Only two aromatic compounds (eugenol 78.91% and eugenyl acetate 11.64%) have been identified as major components in clove EO. Lemongrass EO exhibits the strongest antimicrobial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.56 mg/mL and a minimum fungicidal concentration of 2.25-4.5 mg/mL against Aspergillus spp. strains. Clove and geranium EOs were fairly effective in inhibiting Aspergillus spp. growth.

These results demonstrate the antimicrobial potential of some EOs and support the research of new alternatives or complementary therapies based on EOs.