Antifungal activity of Satureja hortensis alcoholic extract against Aspergillus and Candida species

摘要

Pharmacological and biological investigations have justified the traditional application ofSatureja hortensis?as a natural source of compounds for food conservation, as well as in the treatment of ailments including inflammatory diseases, cramps, muscle pains, nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, and infectious diseases. Regarding to the low number of reports ofSatureja hortensis?antifungal activities, we focused on the inhibitory and fungicidal effects of the Satureja alcoholic extract on?Candida?and?Aspergillus?species. The subjects included patients with clinical isolates of?Candida?and?Aspergillus?obtained from UMSU University Hospital, Urmia, Iran. A total of 51 clinical isolates, including 31(60.8%)?Candida albicansand 20(39.2%)?Aspergillus?species, respectively, were obtained.?McFarland 0.5 solutions of the fungal isolates were treated with alcoholic (ethanol) extract of?S. hortensis?using 1- tube serial dilutions (MIC) and 2- agar serial dilutions (MFC). The Inhibitory range for?Candidaisolates was shown to be 1/20 to 1/320. Findings of MIC and MFC on?Aspergillus?isolates showed that the lowest effective concentration was detected at the dilution point of 1/80 (MIC=12.5 mg/ml). Also, we got the result of 24 hours as the best incubation time of treatment for all the?Aspergillus?isolates tested. Our findings showed that the alcoholic extract of?S. hortensis?is able to inhibit growth of some?Candida?and?Aspergillus?clinical isolates?in vitro?and also killed them in higher concentrations.