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Review
. 2017 Nov 2;10(4):86.
doi: 10.3390/ph10040086.

Essential Oils and Antifungal Activity

Filomena Nazzaro  1 , Florinda Fratianni  2 , Raffaele Coppola  3 , Vincenzo De Feo  4
Affiliations
Review

Essential Oils and Antifungal Activity

Filomena Nazzaro et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

Since ancient times, folk medicine and agro-food science have benefitted from the use of plant derivatives, such as essential oils, to combat different diseases, as well as to preserve food. In Nature, essential oils play a fundamental role in protecting the plant from biotic and abiotic attacks to which it may be subjected. Many researchers have analyzed in detail the modes of action of essential oils and most of their components. The purpose of this brief review is to describe the properties of essential oils, principally as antifungal agents, and their role in blocking cell communication mechanisms, fungal biofilm formation, and mycotoxin production.

Keywords: antifungal; biofilm; essential oils; human health; mycotoxins; quorum sensing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
EOs action against fungi.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model of biofilm development in filamentous fungi: (a) adsorption, (b) active attachment, (c) the first formation of microcolony through the process of germination and/or the development of a monolayer, (d) the development of mycelia, (e) the maturation of fungal biofilm, and finally (f) dispersion of conidia and/or and/or arthroconidia (modified from [77,89]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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