Abstract: Eugenol is a major volatile constituent of clove essential oil obtained throughN hydrodistillation of mainly Eugenia caryophyllata (=Syzygium aromaticum) buds and leaves. It is a remarkably versatile molecule incorporated as a functional ingredient in numerous products and has found application in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, fragrance, flavour, cosmetic and various other industries. Its vast range of pharmacological activities has been well-researched and includes antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-oxidant and anticancer activities, amongst others. In addition, it is widely used in agricultural applications to protect foods from micro-organisms during storage, which might have an effect on human health, and as a pesticide and fumigant. As a functional ingredient, it is included in many dental preparations and it has also been shown to enhance skin permeation of various drugs. Eugenol is considered safe as a food additive but due to the wide range of different applications, extensive use and availability of clove oil, it is pertinent to discuss the general toxicity with special reference to contact dermatitis. This review summarises the pharmacological, agricultural and other applications of eugenol with specific emphasis on mechanism of action as well as toxicity data.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:59:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1755870 bytes, checksum: 96ad104e1f5d7b4eee083c5643e9708f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-12-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The candidiasis is a fungal opportunistic infections involving Candida. In Brazil, the specie C. tropicalis is the second most commonly isolated after C. albicans. The emergence of strains resistant to conventional antifungal agents has increased the search for new alternatives from natural products, especially essential oils. This study investigated the activity of essential oil (EO) Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb.(clove) on strains of C. tropicalis by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC), Micromorphology, fungal viability (time-kill) and checkerboard. The CIM and CFM were respectively 512 and 1024 μg/mL for the essential oil and 2 μg/mL for amphotericin B. When we evaluated the action of OE and amphotericin B on the morphology of the clinical strain, we observed inhibition of the formation of hyphae and pseudohyphae, which are important virulence factors in the development of candidiasis. There was also the essential oil has a concentration-dependent antifungal activity and that the association of OE and amphotericin B demonstrated effect additive. Given this, it is concluded that the essential oil of E. caryophyllata showed a strong inhibitory activity against C.tropicalis and thus can be considered as a potential product with antifungal properties, especially for the treatment of candidiasis. / As candidíases são infecções fúngicas de caráter oportunista, envolvendo leveduras do gênero Candida. No Brasil, a espécie C. tropicalis é a segunda mais comumente isolada após C. albicans. O surgimento de cepas resistentes aos antifúngicos convencionais tem aumentado a busca por novas alternativas provenientes de produtos naturais, em especial os óleos essenciais. Este trabalho investigou a atividade do óleo essencial (OE) de Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb. (cravo-da-índia) sobre cepas de C. tropicalis, através da Determinação da Concentração Inibitória Mínima (CIM), da Concentração Fungicida Mínima (CFM), do efeito sobre micromorfologia, da viabilidade fúngica (time-kill) e ensaio de sinergismo (checkerboard). A CIM e CFM foram 512 e 1024 μg/mL, respectivamente, para o óleo essencial e 2 μg/mL para anfotericina B. Quando foi avaliada a ação do OE e da anfotericina B sobre a micromorfologia da cepa clínica, observou-se inibição da formação das hifas e pseudohifas, que são fatores de virulência importantes no desenvolvimento das candidíases. Observou-se também o óleo essencial tem atividade antifúngica dependente da concentração e do tempo, e que a associação do OE e anfotericina B demonstrou efeito aditivo.Dessa forma, pode-se concluir que o óleo essencial de E. caryophyllata apresenta forte atividade antifúngica, podendo ser objeto para estudos mais aprofundados acerca dessa atividade.