Abstract

Antifungal activity of the essential oil obtained from Cuminum cyminum (C. cyminum) was investigated against different Aspergillus strains. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the chemical composition of the oil was performed to determine their different components. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) of C. cyminum essential oil and amphotericin B for seven strains ofAspergillus species, comprising Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) PTCC 5009,Aspergillus flavus PTCC 5006, Aspergillus niger PTCC 5011, Aspergillus terreus PTCC 5267, Aspergillus ochraceus PTCC 5017, Aspergillus nidulans PTCC 5014 and A. fumigatus AIR13, were determined by a broth macro dilution method. C. cyminum oil contained α-pinene (30%), limonene (21%) and 1, 8-cineole (18.5%), as the major components. The MIC values of the oil were ranged from 0.3 to 74 mg/ml and C. cyminum oil demonstrated strong antifungal activity on A. nidulans (P<0.05). No isolate was detected with an MIC of amphotericin B > 2 µg/ml. Data showed that C. cyminum oil was more effective in comparison with amphotericin B. Furthermore, the study suggests that this essential oil can be used as an antifungal agent for the treatment of aspergillosis.

Key words: Fungitoxicity, Aspergillus, Cuminum cyminum, essential oil, amphotericin B.