Anticandidal activity of Clinopodium chilense essential oil
Date
Authors
MENA ULECIA, KAREL
Montenegro, Iván J.
Villarroel, Constanza
Muñoz-Núñez, Evelyn
Mena-Ulecia, Karel
Silva, Valentina
Madrid, Alejandro M.
Montenegro, Iván J.
Villarroel, Constanza
Muñoz-Núñez, Evelyn
Mena-Ulecia, Karel
Silva, Valentina
Madrid, Alejandro M.
Authors
Date
Datos de publicación:
10.3389/fphar.2025.1634250
Keywords
Candida Spp - Clinopodium Chilense - Essential Oil - Pulegone - Thymol - Isomenthone - Protein - Pulegone - Sterol 14alpha Demethylase - Thymol - Corei7 - Hewlett Packard 5973 - Hewlett Packard 6890 - Intel - Sigma Plot - Statistica 7.0 - Versa Max - Xcalibur - Als9-2 Protein - Essential Oil - Isomenthone - Protein - Pulegone - Sterol 14alpha Demethylase - Thymol - Unclassified Drug - Antifungal Activity - Article - Candida - Candida Glabrata - Candida Tropicalis - Cell Viability Assay - Chemical Composition - Clavispora Lusitaniae - Clinical Assessment - Clinopodium Chilense - Controlled Study - Cytotoxicity - Hek293t Cell Line - Human - Human Cell - Mass Fragmentography - Meyerozyma Guilliermondii - Minimum Fungicidal Concentration - Minimum Inhibitory Concentration - Molecular Docking - Molecular Dynamics - Nonhuman - Pharmacokinetic Parameters - Physicochemical Model - Plant - Spectrophotometry - Toxicological Parameters
Collections
Abstract
The antifungal activity of the essential oil of Clinopodium chilense (Benth.) Govaerts was investigated against several strains of Candida spp. including clinical isolates and reference strains. Antifungal efficacy was evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). The chemical composition of the essential oil, characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), revealed pulegone (18.5%), thymol (11.0%), and isomenthone (10.0%) as the primary constituents. Clinopodium chilense essential oil (EO) demonstrated broad-spectrum anticandidal activity against all tested Candida spp., with MIC values ranging from 16 to 64 ?g/mL and MFC values from 16 to 128 ?g/mL. The EO exhibited potent fungicidal activity (MFC/MIC ratio ?2) against several strains, notably Candida tropicalis (MIC and MFC of 16 ?g/mL), and also showed efficacy against C. guilliermondii and C. lusitaniae. Among the major components, thymol generally displayed the lowest MIC values (32 64 ?g/mL). Molecular docking studies further suggested thymol as a key contributor to the oil s antifungal effect, showing strong binding affinities to C. albicans virulence proteins Als9-2 and the enzyme CYP51. Significantly, the essential oil outperformed amphotericin B against all tested clinical isolates. Overall, C. chilense EO exhibits significant fungistatic and fungicidal activity against pathogenic Candida species without affecting normal cell viability. These findings, supported by chemical characterization and in silico analysis of its major components like thymol, highlight its potential as a source of novel natural antifungal agents. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Description
Keywords
Candida Spp , Clinopodium Chilense , Essential Oil , Pulegone , Thymol , Isomenthone , Protein , Pulegone , Sterol 14alpha Demethylase , Thymol , Corei7 , Hewlett Packard 5973 , Hewlett Packard 6890 , Intel , Sigma Plot , Statistica 7.0 , Versa Max , Xcalibur , Als9-2 Protein , Essential Oil , Isomenthone , Protein , Pulegone , Sterol 14alpha Demethylase , Thymol , Unclassified Drug , Antifungal Activity , Article , Candida , Candida Glabrata , Candida Tropicalis , Cell Viability Assay , Chemical Composition , Clavispora Lusitaniae , Clinical Assessment , Clinopodium Chilense , Controlled Study , Cytotoxicity , Hek293t Cell Line , Human , Human Cell , Mass Fragmentography , Meyerozyma Guilliermondii , Minimum Fungicidal Concentration , Minimum Inhibitory Concentration , Molecular Docking , Molecular Dynamics , Nonhuman , Pharmacokinetic Parameters , Physicochemical Model , Plant , Spectrophotometry , Toxicological Parameters
Citation
10.3389/fphar.2025.1634250