Abstract
Copaiba oil, an oleoresin extracted from Copaifera genus, has been widely used in popular medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity of the copaiba oil and its isolated compounds caryophyllene oxide, copalic acid and acetoxycopalic acid against Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum gypseum strains, using microdilution method and microscopy techniques. It was found that the copaiba oil and the copalic acid were active against dermatophytes by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) tests. The MIC and MFC of copaiba oil against T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and M. gypseum were 125 µg mL-1 (250 µg mL-1), 500 µg mL-1 (500 µg mL-1) and 250 µg mL-1 (250 µg mL-1), respectively. For copalic acid, the MIC and MFC were 50 µg mL-1 (100 µg mL-1), 100 µg mL-1 (100 µg mL-1) and 50 µg mL-1 (100 µg mL-1), respectively. Fluorescence microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy were used to investigate inhibition on hyphal growth by compounds, copaiba oil and copalic acid, showing a strong inhibition and an irregular growth pattern. Cell wall, cytoplasmic membrane and intracellular contents were also damaged. In conclusion, copaiba oil and copalic acid showed great activity against dermatophytes, being potential compounds for the development of antifungal drugs.
Highlights
Copaiba oil is an oleoresin extracted from the trunk of several Copaifera L. species with trees native in tropical regions in Latin America and Western Africa
Fractions with high purity, with a single spot in the thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis, were analyzed by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and their profiles were compared with the literature, enabling the elucidation of their structures (Figures S1-S6, Supplementary Information)
We investigated the activity of copaiba oil, isolated copalic acid, acetoxycopalic acid and a fraction rich in caryophyllene oxide against dermatophyte species
Summary
Copaiba oil is an oleoresin extracted from the trunk of several Copaifera L. species with trees native in tropical regions in Latin America and Western Africa This oleoresin has been widely used in popular medicine due to its pharmacological properties, and studies have been performed to demonstrate its activity as anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antibiotic and fungicidal.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] Known as a transparent liquid with variable color and viscosity, copaiba oil consists in a mixture of sesquiterpenes and diterpenes that, isolated, present several pharmacological activities. Dermatophytes are pathogenic fungi that utilize keratinous substrates as carbon, nitrogen and sulfur sources They belong to three genera Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton, which have the peculiar ability to digest and grow on keratinized host structures such as skin, hair and nails, causing superficial lesions. They do not cause outbreaks or pandemics, incidence of severe systemic fungal infections has increased, mainly due to patients with compromised immune system.[13,14]
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