Development and in vitro Antifungal Evaluation of a Ternary Essential Oil-Based Oral Phytopharmaceutical Formulation...

The increasing resistance of Candida albicans to conventional antifungal agents has intensified the search for alternative therapies based on natural metabolites.

This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical profile and antifungal activity of a phytopharmaceutical formulation composed of essential oils from Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), Coriandrum sativum (coriander), and Origanum vulgare (oregano), obtained by steam distillation from plants collected in the southern region of Ecuador.

The chemical composition was characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 40 compounds were identified, with carvacrol (30.01%), α-citral (12.57%), β-citral (9.55%), linalool (8.47%), (E)-2-decenal (8.38%), and geraniol (2.81%) as the major constituents. Antifungal activity was assessed using the agar diffusion method against C. albicans ATCC 90028, comparing formulations at 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 25%.

The ternary formulation at 10% in an alcoholic vehicle exhibited the largest inhibition zone (77.89 ± 2.48 mm), significantly surpassing both positive controls, including 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate (35.13 ± 0.01 mm) and fluconazole (21.63 ± 6.29 mm). The aqueous formulation also demonstrated considerable antifungal activity, although lower than the alcoholic system.

The novel phytopharmaceutical formulation demonstrated notable antifungal activity and may represent a promising natural alternative for oral candidiasis management. Nevertheless, further studies incorporating complementary methodologies, such as minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentration (MIC/MFC) assays, as well as in vivo and biocompatibility evaluations, would contribute to strengthening the translational potential and clinical applicability of these findings.