Abstract
The antifungal effects of citral, eugenol, nerolidol and α-terpineol on Trichophyton mentagrophytes were investigated. Citral over 0.1 mg/ml strongly inhibited the hyphal growth of T. mentagrophytes, and the antifungal activity of α-terpineol was less effective. The morphological changes of the fungus exposed to the terpenes were observed by electron microscopy. The hyphae were distorted and collapsed at 0.2, 0.4 and 1 mg/ml of eugenol, nerolidol and α-terpineol respectively, and cell membrane and organelles were irreversibly damaged at 0.2 mg/ml citral. These suggested that four terpenes possess antifungal activity against T. mentagrophytes, and the activity might lead to irreversible cellular disruption.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 290-296 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Fitoterapia |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2009 |
Keywords
- α-Terpineol
- Citral
- Electron microscopy
- Eugenol
- Nerolidol
- Trichophyton mentagrophytes