Estudo da atividade antifúngica do geraniol e do citronelol associados com anfotericina B e com o cetoconazol.

Abstract

Yeasts of the genus Candida are the most common cause of invasive fungal infections in humans, with the candidemia being the fourth most common cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and in other developed countries, being Candida albicans the most frequently isolated species. The fungal resistance to the therapeutic agents available is increasing, as a reflex of the growth of the immune-compromised population and the increasingly frequent use of prophylaxis and empiric treatment with antifungal. In the attempt of transposing this reality it has searched to establish and evaluate new alternative therapies and the study of the interaction between plants essential oils or its isolated constituents with antimicrobial drugs arises as alternative before the problems of fungal resistance and toxicity. The present work aimed to verify the activity of the association of geraniol + amphotericin B, geraniol + ketoconazole, citronellol + amphotericin B and citronellol + ketoconazole in the face of Candida albicans, utilizing the checkerboard technique. In this technique it is verified the fungal growth when the microorganism is exposed to diverse concentrations of the drugs in association. According to the values of the Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Indices (FICI) none of the four associations presented synergic activity, being all indifferent (geraniol + amphotericin B, geraniol + ketoconazole, citronellol + amphotericin B and citronellol + ketoconazole). Although in none of the combinations studied synergism has been presented, the non-antagonism of the association of essential oils or its isolated constituents with synthetic drugs is related as a rather promising alternative in the combat to the advance of the fungal resistance and decrease of the toxic effects, being studied for many research groups.