Anticandidal activity of essential oils from commercial herbal spices from Turkey

Herbs such as Laurus nobilis L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Ocimum basilicum L., Salvia fruticosa Mill., and Thymbra spicata L. grown in Turkey are important export crops as whole dried plant material or as value added products such as essential oils [1]. The essential oils of herbal species (spices) were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), simultaneously. The major constituents were identified as 1,8-cineole (47%), α-terpinyl acetate (11%) for L. nobilis L., 1,8-cineole (53%), α-pinene (11%) for R. officinalis L., linalool (43%), 1,8-cineole (15%) for O. basilicum L., 1,8-cineole (44%), camphor (12%) for S. fruticosa Mill., and carvacrol (65%), p-cymene (18%) for T. spicata L., respectively. All essential oils and their major constituents were evaluated in vitro for their anticandidal properties against pathogenic yeast using agar well diffusion, microdilution and TLC bioauthographic methods in combination [2]. Candida albicans, C. utilis, C. tropicalis, C. krusei, C. zeylanoides, C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata were used in the assays. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were observed as 0.125->1.0mg/ml and active compounds were identified in comparison to standard antifungal agents. Qualitative and quantitative preliminary radical scavenging activity (DPPH^·) [3] of the oils and their active components eugenol, carvacrol, methyl eugenol were determined. The results obtained suggest that essential oils and their components are invaluable sources for inhibition of Candida sp. and the DPPH radical.

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank TAMSAN, İzmir for providing the plant material. Pharm. E. Civisov for his assistance. TUBITAK TBAG 106T117 for partial financial support.

References: [1] Anonymous (2004) EU Market Survey 2004: Natural ingredients for pharmaceuticals. CBI, http://www.cbi.nl/. [2] Iscan, G. et al. (2002) J. Agric. Food Chem. 50, 3943–6. [3] Kumarasamy, M.E. et al. (2002), Pharm. Biol. 40, 307–310.