Antifungal effect of essential oil of Bunium persicum on Candida albicans, In vitro study

Introduction: Bunium persicum is a gramine plant from Umbelliferae family. Candida albicans is a kind of yeast known as normal flora of skin and gastrointestinal tract (GIT), respiratory and genitourinary (GU) mucosa. This fungi makes disease in immunodeficient individuals. The aim of this study was to assess the antifungal effect of essential oil of Bunium persicum on Candida albicans. Methods: 28 plate's receptacle of Candida albicans were passaged on Sabouraud dextrose agar medium. Seven plates were assign as control (without essential oil of Bunium persicum) and 21 plates as cases, consisted 1mg/ml, 2 mg/ml and 3mg/ml (7 plates for each of them) Bunium persicum essential. All plates incubated in 37°C incubator for 72 hours. Colony counting was done each 24h by crossbar paper and Heerbrugg WILD stereoscope. Finally, descriptive statistics was used for results presentation. Results: After the first 24hr, Candida albicans yeasts had growth in all case plates but no growth was seen in control plates. In the second 24hr, all control and 1mg/ml essential oil of Bunium persicum plates, had growth, but no culture observed in 2mg/ml and 3mg/ml essential oil of Bunium persicum plates. Finally after 72hr, although culture was seen in control (Innumerable), 1mg/ml (Innumerable) and 2mg/ml (Average=46 colony) essential oil of Bunium persicum plates, no culture was observed in 3 mg/ml plates. Conclusion: Results of present study demonstrated that, all 3 concentrations could delay culture of Candida albicans and induce stay effect on that. Time of staying culture of fungi was related to essential concentration in medium