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DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-959568
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York
In Vitro Synergism of Concentrated Allium sativum Extract and Amphotericin B against Cryptococcus neoformans
Publication History
1994
1994
Publication Date:
05 January 2007 (online)
Abstract
Allium sativum (garlic) derived preparations are used alone or with amphotericin B in Asia to treat human systemic fungal infections and cryptococcal meningitis. To evaluate the scientific merit of using allicin-derived compounds as an anti-fungal drug, we prepared a concentrated A. sativum extract that contained 34% allicin, 44% total thiosulfinates, and 20% vinyldithiins. We found that the concentrated extract possessed potent in vitro fungistatic and fungicidal activity against 3 different isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the concentrated garlic extract against 1 × 105 organisms of C. neoformans ranged from 6 to 12 µg/ml. In addition, in vitro synergistic fungistatic activity with amphotericin B was demonstrated against all isolates of C. neoformans. This study lends laboratory support for the treatment of cryptococcal infections with concentrated garlic extracts.
Key words
Cryptococcal meningitis - Allium sativum - Alliaceae - garlic - synergism - amphotericin B - Cryptococcus neoformans