Inhibitory effect of allicin and garlic extracts on growth of cultured hyphae

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Medical Mycology & Parasitology, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran

2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

3 Department of Medical Mycology & Parasitology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Objective(s): Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) is one of the most common dermatophytes worldwide. This fungus invaded skin appendages of humans and animals. Recently, resistance to antifungal drugs as well as appearance of side effects due to indication of these kinds of antibiotics has been reported. Besides, using some plant extracts have been indicated in herbal medicine as an alternative treatment of these fungal infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Garlic (Allium sativum) and pure allicin on the growth of hypha in T. rubrum using Electron miscroscopy.
Materials and Methods:This study was carried out to observe the morphological changes of T. rubrum treated with allicin as well as aqueous garlic extract using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
Results: SEM surveys, showed that hypha treated with allicin has rough and granular like surface, abnormal and irregularly-shape. However, hypha treated with garlic extract had rough and fluffy surface and also irregularly-shape. TEM studies also found that hypha treated with allicin displays disintegration of cytoplasm, breaking down in cell membrane and the cell wall, and collapsing of hypha, meanwhile hypha treated with garlic extract exhibiting degradation and dissolution of cytoplasm components, demolition of cell wall and cell membrane, and hypha appeared to break.
Conclusion: The present study revealed that pure allicin (6.25 µg/ml and 12.5 µg/ml) is more efficient in inhibition of the growth in hyphal cells compare to the garlic extract (2 mg/ml and 4 mg/ml) and they could be used as alternatives in treatment of dermatophytosis.

Keywords

References

 1. Santos DA, Hamdan JS. Evaluation of broth microdilution antifungal susceptibility testing conditions for Trichophyton rubrum. J Clin Microbiol. 2005; 43:1917–1920.
2. Barros ME, Santos DA, Hamdan JS. Evaluation of susceptibility of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum clinical isolates to antifungal drugs using a modified CLSI microdilution method (M38-A). J Med Microbiology. 2007; 56: 514-518.
3. Al-Mohsen I, Hughes WT. Systemic antifungal therapy: past, present and future. Ann Saudi Med. 1998; 18: 28-38.
4. Odds FC, Brown AJP, Gow NAR. Antifungal agents: mechanisms of action. Trends Microbiol 2003; 11:272-279.
5. Pyun M, Shin S. Antifungal effects of the volatile oils from Allium plants against Trichophyton species and synergism of the oils with ketoconazole. Phytomedicine. 2006; 13:394-400.
6. Ismaiel AA, Rabie GH, Kenawey SE, Abd El-Aal MA. Efficacy of aqueous garlic extract on growth, aflatoxin B1 production, and cyto-morphological aberrations of Aspergillus flavus, causing human ophthalmic infection: topical treatment of A. flavus keratitis. Braz J Microbiol. 2012; 43:1355-1364.
7. Karuppiah P, Rajaram S. Antibacterial effect of Allium sativum cloves and Zingiber officinale rhizomes against multiple-drug resistant clinical pathogens. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2012; 2:597-601.
8. Brilhante RS, de Lima RA, Caetano EP, Leite JJ, Castelo-Branco Dde S, Ribeiro JF, Bandeira Tde J, Cordeiro Rde A, Monteiro AJ, Sidrim JJ, Rocha MF. Effect of farnesol on growth, ergosterol biosynthesis, and cell permeability in Coccidioides posadasii. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013; 57:2167-2170.
9. Ghannoun MA. Studies on the anticandidal mode of action of Allium sativum. J Gen Microbiol. 1988; 134: 2917-2924.
10. Aala F, Yusuf UK, Khodavandi A, Jamal F. In vitro antifungal activity of allicin alone and in combination with two mediations against six dermatophytic fungi. Afr J Microbiol Res. 2010; 4: 380-385.
11. Cavillito CJ, Buck JS, Suter CM. Allicin, the antibacterial principle of Allium sativum, II. Determination of the chemical structure. J Am Chem Soci. 1994; 66: 1952-1954.
12. Pai ST, Platt MW.  Antifungal effect of Allium sativum (garlic) extracts against the Aspergillus species involved in otomycosis. Lett Appl Microbiol. 1995; 20:14-18.
13. Ghahfarokhi MS, Goodarzia M, Razzaghi Abyanehb M, Al-Tiraihic T, Seyedipourd G. Morphological evidences for onion-induced growth inhibition of Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Fitoterapia. 2004; 75: 645-655.
14. Park MJ, Gwak KS, Yang I, Kim KW, Jeung EB, Chang JW, et al.  Effect of citral, eugenol, nerolidol and α-terpineol on the ultrastructural changes of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Fitoterapia .2009; 80: 290-296.
15. Ghahfarokhi MS, Razafsha M, Allameh A, Razzaghi Abyaneh M.  Inhibitory effects of aqueous onion and garlic extracts on growth and keratinase activity in Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Iran Biomed J 2003; 7: 113-118.
16. Iwasawa A, Saito K, Mokudai T, Kohno M, Ozawa T, Niwano Y.  Fungicidal Action of Hydroxyl Radicals Generated by Ultrasound in Water. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2009; 45:214-218.
17. Ledezma E, Apitz-Castro R. Ajoene the main active compound of garlic (Allium sativum): a new antifungal agent. Rev Iberoam Micol. 2006; 23:75-80.
18. Romagnoli C, Mares D, Bruni A, Andreotti E, Manfrini M, Vicantini CB.  Antifungal activity of 5 new synthetic compund vs T. rubrum and Epidermohyhton floccosum. Mycopathologia. 2001; 153:129-132.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics