Abstract
The small amount of data regarding the antifungal activity of Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter against dermatophytes, Malassezia spp. and Aspergillus spp., associated with the few comparative studies on the antimicrobial activity of methanolic, ethanolic, and butanolic extracts underpins the study herein presented. The total condensed tannin (TCT), phenol (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), and caffeoylquinic acid (CQC) content of methanol, butanol, and ethanol (80% and 100%) extracts of D. viscosa were assessed and their bactericidal and fungicidal activities were evaluated. The antibacterial, anti-Candida and anti-Malassezia activities were evaluated by using the disk diffusion method, whereas the anti-Microsporum canis and anti-Aspergillus fumigatus activities were assessed by studying the toxicity effect of the extracts on vegetative growth, sporulation and germination. The methanolic extract contained the highest TPC and CQC content. It contains several phytochemicals mainly caffeoylquinic acid derivatives as determined by liquid chromatography with photodiode array and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometric detection (LC/PDA/ESI-MS) analysis. All extracts showed an excellent inhibitory effect against bacteria and Candida spp., whereas methanolic extract exhibited the highest antifungal activities against Malassezia spp., M. canis and A. fumigatus strains. The results clearly showed that all extracts, in particular the methanolic extract, might be excellent antimicrobial drugs for treating infections that are life threatening (i.e., Malassezia) or infections that require mandatory treatments (i.e., M. canis or A. fumigatus).
Highlights
The growing worldwide concern about the alarming increase in the rate of human and animal infections caused by antibiotic-resistant microorganisms have spurred the interest of the scientific community in developing alternative methods for their control [1]
The results clearly showed that all extracts, in particular the methanolic extract, might be excellent antimicrobial drugs for treating infections that are life threatening (i.e., Malassezia) or infections that require mandatory treatments (i.e., M. canis or A. fumigatus)
They are expressed as mg catechin equivalent (CE), mg gallic acid equivalent, mg quercetin equivalent (QE) and mg of chlorogenic acid equivalent (ChlA E) per g dry extract, respectively
Summary
The growing worldwide concern about the alarming increase in the rate of human and animal infections caused by antibiotic-resistant microorganisms have spurred the interest of the scientific community in developing alternative methods for their control [1]. Dermatophytes are a group of fungi which have the ability to invade the keratinized tissues (skin, hair, nails) causing cutaneous infections in humans and animals commonly known as dermatophytosis [7]. They are distributed worldwide and some of them are considered zoonotic, being transmitted from animals to humans [8]. The treatment of infections is mandatory due to the contagious and the zoonotic nature and usually requires long antifungal therapy with azoles [9] These treatments are not usually performed in food producing animals since they are more expensive, and treated animals need long withholding before using in food processing industry [10]
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