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).