Chemical composition and antifungal activities of aromatic water of Boiss.

Background And Purpose: In Iranian culture, aromatic waters harboring a slight amount of essential oil have been popularly used for many years as a pleasant non-alcoholic drink with various medicinal properties.In this study, chemical composition of Boiss. (ZM) aromatic water was determined and its and in vivo antifungal properties were investigated.

Materials And Methods: Chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from aromatic water (AW) of ZM was analyzed by Gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antimicrobial activity of the AW against species was determined by broth micro-dilution methods. Additionally, biofilm formation inhibition and antioxidant activity of the AW were measured using XTT reduction and DPPH methods, respectively. Antifungal activities of the AW in the prevention and/or treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) candidiasis in animal models were also evaluated.

Results: The GC-MS analysis revealed that the major constituents of ZM AW were Carvacrol (46.56%) and Thymol (40.67%). The ZM AW inhibited the growth and biofilm formation of species in the range of 0.25-0.5 V/V. Moreover, ZM AW significantly decreased colonization in therapeutic groups (<0.05).

Conclusion: Given the wide therapeutic potential of ZM AW, including antifungal and antioxidant activities, it might be possible to use it in the management of mucocutaneous or alimentary candidiasis.