Prospects of application of vegetable oils as antifungal agents (Literature review)

Abstract

Purpose of work – to summarize and present modern scientific literature reviews of alternative antifungal agents usage, among which herbal medicines, and in particular herbal oils, may play significant role. Fungal infections (mycoses) are one of the leading infectious diseases in the world. Besides the medical importance, pathogenic fungi play a significant role in the food industry as potential pollutants. In order to treat fungal infections and to prevent food spoilage various medications that are products of chemical synthesis are widely used and the need for them increases significantly. However, among large number of medications and herbal drugs only a small part is used to treat fungal infections and to prevent food decay, though plants contain a lot of bioactive compounds with potential antifungal properties. Therefore, question of application of vegetable oils as antifungal agents is relevant. Various plants contain oils that have the potential antifungal properties, but are often used only in gastronomic purpose. The same time those oils can be successfully used for the treatment of candidiasis and infections caused by fungi of genera Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Metrhizium, Ophiostoma, Scopulariopsis and others. Their effects are manifested like using a single vegetable oil and mixtures of oils. Conclusions . Vegetable oils usage has big perspectives due to the lack of «addictive» effect and the development of resistance in fungi of different taxa. Vegetable oils do not require considerable investments for their reception, and thanks to traditions of aromo- and herbal medicine, their usage can be more effective in contrast to traditional chemotherapeutic agents. The search and study of new medicines based on vegetable oils may be a perspective direction of modern microbiological sciences and requires further deep studies of their biological properties and mechanisms of action.