Essential Oils of <i>Melaleuca, Citrus</i>, <i>Cupressus</i>, and <i>Litsea</i> for the Management of Infections Caused by <i>Candida</i> Species: A Systematic Review

• Main Authors: Rafael Alves da Silva (Author), Flávia Maria Pinto Monteiro Antonieti (Author), Denise Von Dolinger de Brito Röder (Author), Reginaldo dos Santos Pedroso (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101700; 1999-4923
• Keywords: essential oils; anti-<i>Candida</i> activity; alternative therapy; Pharmacy and materia medica; RS1-441
• Source: Pharmaceutics, Vol 13, Iss 10, p 1700 (2021)

<i>Candida</i> is a common agent of infection in humans, which has a wide distribution and is a colonizer fungus of the body, occasionally assuming the role of a pathogen. The type of treatment depends on the site of infection and the clinical condition of the patient. Superficial infections, such as mucosal infections, can be treated with topical medications. So-called alternative therapies have rarely been studied, although the literature records the effectiveness of some treatments, especially as complementary therapy. The aims of this review were to analyze evidence of the anti-<i>Candida</i> inhibitory activity of essential oils of the <i>Citrus</i>, <i>Cupressus</i>, <i>Litsea</i>, and <i>Melaleuca</i> species; in addition to addressing the chemical composition, probable mechanisms of antifungal action and studies of toxicity, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity were included. The literature from Medline/PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Brazilian database Periodic Capes was reviewed. Thirty-eight articles were selected, which included two articles on <i>Litsea</i> spp., seven on <i>Cupressus</i> spp., thirteen articles on <i>Citrus</i> spp., and twenty-one articles on <i>Melaleuca</i> spp. In conclusion, this study showed in vitro evidence for the use of essential oils of the plant species evaluated for the treatment of infections caused by different <i>Candida</i> species.