Assessment of Antidermatophytic Activity and chemical composition of Nigerian Citrus senensis (L.) Osbeck Essential Oil against Multidrug-Resistant Pathogenic dermatophytes Isolated from Tinea capitis Samples

Many conventional antifungal agents are becoming ineffective against resistant strains of dermatophytes and as such the use of essential oil (EO) may confer a possible panacea to fight against such multidrug-resistant dermatophytes. This study is aimed at determining the antidermatophytic activity of EO from fruit peel of Nigerian Citrus senensis (L.) Osbeck against multidrug-resistant (MDR) tinea capitis dermatophytes and possible chemical composition. The EO was reaped by hydro-distillation and the chemical composition was investigated using gas chromatography/ mass spectroscopy (GC-MS).The antidermatophytic activity was evaluated using agar diffusion method against four dermatophyte strains (Two MDR dermatophytes, one referenced strain and one susceptible).The minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations (MIC/MFC) were determined by agar dilution methods. The major components were terpenes: - D-Limonene (26.64 – 63.27%), α-terpineol (2.38 – 39.36%), β-linalool (2.28 – 13.42%), Carveol (1.36 – 3.91%), Carvone (3.62 – 3.80%) and α-Farnesene (1.29-1.83 %). Other non terpenes include 2,3,4,5-Tetrahydropyridazine (0.83%). The test results revealed EO to be active against all strains.The EO subjected to boiling temperature (100 0C) had increased amount of α-terpineol, β-Linalool, Carveol, Carvone and other imaginative compounds such as 1-Octanol (Heptyl carbinols) with increased antidermatophytic activity (inhibition diameters from 16.00 ± 0.00 - 22.67 ± 0.33 mm at a dilution of 1/16). To the best of our knowleged, this is the first description of the activity of Citrus senensis (L.) Osbeck fruit EO against multidrug-resistant tinea capitis dermatophytic strains. Our study suggests that this EO could be used clinically to treat or prevent dermatophytic infections with multidrug-resistant strains.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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