Antifungal and Antibiofilm Activity of Colombian Essential Oils against Different Candida Strains

Most species are opportunistic pathogens with the ability to form biofilms, which increases their resistance to antifungal drug therapies and the host immune response. Essential oils (EOs) are an alternative for developing new antimicrobial drugs, due to their broad effect on cellular viability, cell communication, and metabolism. In this work, we evaluated the antifungal and antibiofilm potential of fifty EOs on ATCC 10231, ATCC 22019, and CDC B11903. The EOs' antifungal activity was measured by means of a broth microdilution technique to determine the minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations (MICs/MFCs) against the different spp. strains. The effects on biofilm formation were determined by a crystal violet assay using 96-well round-bottom microplates incubated for 48 h at 35 °C. The EOs from (Verbenaceae family) carvone-limonene chemotype and exhibited the highest antifungal activity against . The EOs also presented antifungal and antibiofilm activity against all three spp., thus representing a promising alternative for developing new antifungal products focused on yeast infections, especially those related to biofilm formation, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance.