Glyceryl triacetate (triacetin) as a fungicide.

Abstract

In 1952, Knight, * when studying the lipase activity of molds, observed in vitro inhibition of strains of Aspergillus and Penicillium when glyceryl triacetate (triacetin) was added to homogenized Sabouraud's medium. Concentrations of 0.05% glyceryl triacetate were found to effectively inhibit the growth of these two molds. Pathogenic fungi such as Microsporum audouini, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum lanosum, and Epidermophyton floccosum were similarly inhibited in vitro with the addition of 0.1% to 0.3% glyceryl triacetate. Knight presumed that a lipase of these molds and fungi was capable of hydrolyzing glyceryl triacetate so that products of this reaction were injurious to the growth of the organisms. If blood serum was added to the medium, the action of glyceryl triacetate was potentiated, probably through the action of the serum lipase. When spores of some species of molds and fungi appeared to be resistant to the action of glyceryl triacetate, no