ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015
Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr
© 2015 International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
In vitro antifungal activity of allicin alone and in combination with two medications against six dermatophytic fungi
Farzad Aala1, Umi Kalsom Yusuf1*, Alireza Khodavandi2, and Farida Jamal3
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
3Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Accepted 17 December, 2014
Abstract
Dermatophytes are fungi capable of invading keratinized tissues of humans and animals, causing dermatomycosis. Azole antifungal drugs are often used in the treatment of dermatomycosis. Because of increased use of these medications, azoles are known to cause drug resistance; hence this study investigated an alternative anti-dermatophyte which is plant-based, and biodegradable natural product. Allicin is a pure bioactive compound derived from garlic, which is known worldwide for its antifungal activities. This study evaluated the in vitro efficacy of pure allicin alone against six dermatophyte isolates and the MIC50 and MIC90 ranged from 0.098 – 25.0 µg/ml. Results of this study showed that the order of efficacy based on the MICs values was fluconazole > allicin > ketoconazole at 28ºC for both 7 and 10 days incubation. On the other side, most of tested drug combinations demonstrated synergistic or additive interaction for all isolates for both 7 and 10 days incubation at 28ºC. In conclusion allicin alone showed very good potential as an antifungal compound against mycoses-causing dermatophytes, performing better than the synthetic drug fluconazole, and almost the same as ketoconazole, furthermore allicin in combination with ketoconazole or with fluconazole frequently showed synergistic or additive interaction against dermatomycosis.
Key words: Allicin, antifungal drugs, dermatophytes, MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration).