Antifungal action of α-pinene against Candida spp. isolated from patients with otomycosis and effects of its association with boric acid

The genus Candida is one of the main causes of otomycosis. The growing index of fungal strains resistant to antifungals makes necessary the search for new agents and alpha-pinene is a phytoconstituent present in plants with remarkable antimicrobial activity, which becomes an interesting object of study. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the antifungal activity of alpha-pinene against Candida species isolated from otomycosis, determining the Minimum Inhibitory and Fungicide Concentrations, micromorphological analysis and verifying the effects of the association with boric acid. alpha-pinene showed significant antifungal activity, with greater inhibitory activity against C. parapsilosis, fungicidal action and proved to be effective in inhibiting fungal structures, such as pseudo-hyphae and promoting a marked decrease in blastoconidia. The combination of alpha-pinene with boric acid produced additive effects that may be interesting for use in clinical practice.

Automated summary

The research evaluated the antifungal activity of alpha-pinene against Candida species isolated from otomycosis, demonstrating significant inhibitory effects on fungal structures. Additionally, the combination of alpha-pinene with boric acid showed additive effects that may be beneficial for clinical practice.