{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T16:43:05Z","timestamp":1786725785526,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,7]]},"abstract":"\n Objectives:<\/jats:title>\n This study investigated the anti-cryptococcal potential of certain essential oils (EOs)\/compounds alone and in combination with fluconazole.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Materials and Methods:<\/jats:title>\n \n We investigated the antifungal activity of oils of\n Cinnamomum verum<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Cymbopogon citratus, Cymbopogon martini,<\/jats:italic>\n and\n Syzygium aromaticum<\/jats:italic>\n , and their major active ingredients cinnamaldehyde, citral, eugenol, and geraniol against clinical and standard strains of\n Cryptococcus neoformans<\/jats:italic>\n (CN). Disc diffusion, broth microdilution, checkerboard methods, and transmission electron microscopy were employed to determine growth inhibition, synergistic interaction, and mechanism of action of test compounds.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results:<\/jats:title>\n \n EOs\/compounds showed pronounced antifungal efficacy against azole-resistant CN in the order of cinnamaldehyde > eugenol >\n S. aromaticum<\/jats:italic>\n >\n C. verum<\/jats:italic>\n > citral >\n C. citratus<\/jats:italic>\n > geraniol \u2265\n C. martini<\/jats:italic>\n , each exhibiting zone of inhibition >15 mm. These oils\/compounds were highly cidal compared to fluconazole. Eugenol and cinnamaldehyde showed the strongest synergy with fluconazole against CN by lowering their MICs up to 32-fold. Transmission electron microscopy indicated damage of the fungal cell wall, cell membrane, and other endomembranous organelles.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n Test oils and their active compounds exhibited potential anti-cryptococcus activity against the azole-resistant strains of CN. Moreover, eugenol and cinnamaldehyde significantly potentiated the anti-cryptococcal activity of fluconazole. It is suggested that multiple sites of action from oils\/compounds could turn static fluconazole into a cidal drug combination in combating cryptococcosis.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/aam.aam_197_23","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,14]],"date-time":"2024-05-14T05:00:11Z","timestamp":1715662811000},"page":"391-399","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Synergistic Interaction of Certain Essential Oils and Their Active Compounds with Fluconazole against Azole-resistant Strains of Cryptococcus neoformans"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Mohd Sajjad Ahmad","family":"Khan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Basic Sciences, Deanship of Preparatory Year and Supporting Studies, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1-20260507","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3365","DOI":"10.1182\/blood-2002-05-1356","article-title":"Evidence-based assessment of primary antifungal prophylaxis in patients with hematologic malignancies","volume":"101","author":"Cornely","year":"2003","journal-title":"Blood"},{"key":"R2-20260507","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1306","DOI":"10.1592\/phco.29.11.1306","article-title":"Primary antifungal prophylaxis in adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: Current therapeutic concepts","volume":"29","author":"McCoy","year":"2009","journal-title":"Pharmacotherapy"},{"key":"R3-20260507","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00437205","article-title":"Overview: Cryptococcosis in the patient with AIDS","volume":"114","author":"Sugar","year":"1991","journal-title":"Mycopathologia"},{"key":"R4-20260507","first-page":"20150358","article-title":"Cryptococcal pneumonia: The great mimicker","volume":"3","author":"Thambidurai","year":"2017","journal-title":"BJR Case Rep"},{"key":"R6-20260507","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"256","DOI":"10.1007\/s10096-004-1108-6","article-title":"Antifungal agents: In vitro susceptibility testing, pharmacodynamics, and prospects for combination therapy","volume":"23","author":"Groll","year":"2004","journal-title":"Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis"},{"key":"R7-20260507","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"582","DOI":"10.1590\/S0074-02762012000500003","article-title":"Terbinafine inhibits Cryptococcus neoformans growth and modulates fungal morphology","volume":"107","author":"Guerra","year":"2012","journal-title":"Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz"},{"key":"R8-20260507","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3065","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.45.11.3065-3069.2001","article-title":"Trends in antifungal drug susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans isolates in the United States: 1992 to 1994 and 1996 to 1998","volume":"45","author":"Brandt","year":"2001","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother"},{"key":"R9-20260507","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"204","DOI":"10.1016\/j.indcrop.2012.02.025","article-title":"Composition, antifungal activity and cytotoxicity of the essential oils of Seseli tortuosum L. and Seseli montanum subsp. peixotoanum (samp.) 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