Evaluation of the synergistic effect of antimycotics and the Melissa officinalis L. essential oil (Melissae aetheroleum) on the biofilm of Candida spp.

[M. J. Ranđelović]

131 list

Beleška o autoru: list 131 Bibliografija: listovi 106-129

Microbiology

Vulvovaginal candidiasis, or more accurately, vulvovaginal fungal infection, is a disease of high prevalence, most often caused by Candida spp. This infection of women represents a major health problem due to the development of chronicity, i.e., recurrent form, as well as the possibility of causing congenital candidiasis and affecting the outcome of pregnancies with a history of cerclage or in vitro fertilization. For more than half a century, practical and theoretical attempts have been made to solve this problem, and current research has considered the influence of yeast properties on the chronicity of vulvovaginal fungal infections. The goals of this doctoral thesis included testing the virulence, i.e., biofilm production ability of yeast isolates that cause genital infections in women, and determining their sensitivity (planktonic cells and sessile cells in the biofilm) to antifungal drugs and the Melissa officinalis essential oil (MOEO - Melissa aetheroleum), as well as the investigation of the potential synergistic effect of antimycotics and MOEO on the formed biofilm. The results revealed that almost half of all examined isolates had the ability to produce biofilm. (46%). The microdilution antimycogram method determined that the investigated isolates showed weak sensitivity to fluconazole and nystatin, while the most effective in vitro was clotrimazole. It was found that MOEO showed satisfactory effectiveness against planktonic and sessile cells of the tested isolates, while fluconazole, in some cases, had even a promotional effect on biofilm formation. Examining the combined effect of MOEO and antimycotics revealed a synergistic effect on mature biofilms depending on the tested strain and the applied concentration of antimycotics and natural substances, as in some cases, lower concentrations of the substances showed antagonistic effects. These results could be the basis for future research into the possible application of the tested natural substance in treating vulvovaginal fungal infections, but only after additional studies that would establish the absence of a toxic effect of MOEO in vivo.

Candida spp., kvasnice, vulvovaginalna kandidoza, antimikotici, biofilm, etarsko ulje, Melissa officinalis, sinergizam

Candida spp.; yeasts; vulvovaginal candidosis; antimycotics; biofilm; essential oil; Melissa officinalis; synergism

579.61:615.282:616-002.828(043.3)

B 230

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