Comparison of the Antifungal Efficacy of Four Concentrations of (Muña) Essential Oil against An Study.

Aim And Objective: This paper aims to compare the antifungal efficacy of four concentrations of essential oil (MEO) against ATCC 10231.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted . Ten kilograms of (Muña) were collected in the city of Tarma, Peru. The plant was then dried in the shade at room temperature (21°C), and the essential oil was obtained through distillation. ATCC 10231 was cultured at a MacFarland scale of 0.5, which corresponds to a concentration of 3 × 10 CFU/mL. Each plate was filled with one of the four MEO concentrations (25, 50, 75, or 100%), dimethyl sulfoxide (negative control), or fluconazole (positive control), a known antifungal agent. After incubation, each plate was examined using the Kirby-Bauer method.

Results: Compared to MEO 25%, MEO 50%, and MEO 75%, MEO 100% had the highest antifungal efficacy at 24, 48, and 72 hours of evaluation, with an average of 18.9 ± 0.7, 18.2 ± 0.7, and 17.0 ± 0.4 mm, respectively. However, fluconazole had higher efficacy (27.9 ± 0.5, 27.5 ± 0.5, and 23.7 ± 0.7 mm, respectively). analysis showed that there were significant differences between all concentrations of the MEO groups and their respective positive and negative control groups ( <0.001).

Conclusion: Among the MEO groups, the pure concentration (MEO 100%) had the highest antifungal efficacy. However, fluconazole presented greater efficacy, and the differences were statistically significant.

Clinical Significance: This research allowed to know the efficacy of this natural resource against one of the most prevalent fungi in the oral cavity. Therefore, a line of research could be opened to deepen its potential benefits for oral health.