In order to contribute to the search for new therapeutic agents for leishmaniasis, we report the effect of several essential oils on the growth of Leishmania infantum promastigotes. Eight of the tested essential oils revealed activity below 150 µg/ml, the most active being Cymbopogon citratus, Juniperus oxycedrus berries and Thymus capitelatus oils, with 50% effective concentration values in the range 16–51 µg/ml. The results support the concept that several essential oils or some of their constituents can become useful in the research of new therapeutic agents for leishmaniasis and in the clinical management of this parasitic disease. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Essential oils (EOs) extracted from Lavandula luisieri and Cymbopogon citratus were tested for their antifungal activity against ten clinical isolates of dermatophytes isolated from cases of tinea pedis. Inhibition of conidial germination and antifungal drug/EO combination assay were tested on two ATCC reference strains of Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. EOs were characterised by high amount of oxygenated monoterpenes in their composition. Strong antifungal activity was observed for the majority of clinical strains, and fungicidal activity was demonstrated. Positive interaction between L. luisieri EO combined with terbinafine was observed against terbinafine-resistant strain (Tr ATCC MYA-4438). Significative reduction of the germination was observed above 100 μg mL⁻¹. Both oils were safe to macrophage mammalian cells at tested concentration. This study describes the antifungal activity of L. luisieri and C. citratus EOs against dermatophytes, which could be useful in designing new formulations for topical treatments.