Fitoterapia 77 (2006) 321 – 323

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Short report
In vitro antifungal activities of Allium cepa, Allium sativum and
ketoconazole against some pathogenic yeasts and dermatophytes
Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi a,⁎, Mohammad-Reza Shokoohamiri a ,
Nasrin Amirrajab a , Behnaz Moghadasi a , Ali Ghajari b , Farideh Zeini c ,
Golnar Sadeghi d , Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh d
a
Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modarress University, Tehran 14115-111, Iran
b
Department of Mycology, Faculty of Public Health, Shaheed Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
c
Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, Institute of Public Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
d
Department of Mycology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 13164, Iran
Received 7 May 2005; accepted 27 March 2006
Available online 11 May 2006

Abstract

By using an agar dilution assay, the antifungal activity of aqueous extracts prepared from Allium cepa (onion; AOE) and Allium
sativum (garlic; AGE) were evaluated against Malassezia furfur (25 strains), Candida albicans (18 strains), other Candida sp. (12
strains) as well as 35 strains of various dermatophyte species and compared with the activity of a known antifungal drug,
ketoconazole (KTZ). All the AOE, AGE and KTZ were found to be able to inhibit growth of all fungi tested in a dose-dependent
manner with maximum of 100% at defined concentrations. The results indicate that onion and garlic might be promising in
treatment of fungal-associated diseases from important pathogenic genera Candida, Malassezia and the dermatophytes.
© 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Allium cepa; Allium sativum; Ketoconazole; Malassezia furfur; Candida species; Dermatophytes

1. Plant material

Fresh onion and garlic were collected during June 2003. Voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of The
Forest and Rangelands Research Institute (FRRI), Tehran, Iran.

2. Use in traditional medicine

Plant extracts have reputed values for their antifungal, antiprotozoal, antihelminthic, antiviral, disinfectant, and
antitumor properties as well as in the treatment of gastric and hepatic disorders, diabetes melitus, hypertension,
hypercholesterolemia and immunodeficiency syndromes [1–3].

⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 21 88011001; fax: +98 21 88006544.

E-mail addresses: shamsm@modares.ac.ir, mshamsgh@yahoo.com (M. Shams-Ghahfarokhi).

0367-326X/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2006.03.014
322 M. Shams-Ghahfarokhi et al. / Fitoterapia 77 (2006) 321–323

3. Previously isolated constituents

Mainly sulfur-based compounds [2,3].

4. Tested material

Aqueous extracts of fresh onion (AOE) and garlic (AGE) bulbs prepared according to the procedure of Shams
Ghahfarokhi et al. [4]. The extracts were completely dried using a Christ Alpha 1-4 Lyophilizator to obtain pure
powders.

5. Studied activity

Antifungal activity using an agar dilution method as described by Uchida et al. [5].

6. Used microorganisms

Listed in Table 1. These fungi were clinical strains isolated from related human cases of vulvovaginitis, pityriasis
versicolor and dermatophytosis.

Table 1
Antifungal activities of onion (AOE), garlic (AGE) and ketoconazole (KTZ) against pathogenic yeasts and dermatophytes by the agar dilution method
Fungi (no. of strains) Antifungal MIC a Geometric
compound mean MIC
50% 90% Range
M. furfur (25) KTZ 0.5 2 0.08–16 3.527
AOE 2 8 0.125–16 8.062
AGE 0.0312 0.125 0.0039–0.5 0.252
C. albicans (18) KTZ 0.5 2 0.125–64 23.582
AOE 0.125 0.5 0.0625–16 4.522
AGE 0.0312 0.0625 0.0156–2 0.569
C. glabrata (6) KTZ 0.5 2 0.125–128 40.396
AOE 0.25 0.5 0.0625–32 10.112
AGE 0.0312 0.125 0.0156–1 0.362
C. tropicalis (5) KTZ 0.5 2 0.125–128 48.569
AOE 0.125 0.5 0.0625–32 16.031
AGE 0.0312 0.125 0.0156–1 0.338
C. parapsilosis (1) KTZ 0.5 1 0.125–64 32.062
AOE 0.25 0.5 0.0625–32 16.031
AGE 0.0312 0.125 0.0156–0.5 0.258
T. mentagrophytes (5) KTZ 0.25 2 0.032–16 8.016
AOE 0.5 2 0.0156–4 2.008
AGE 0.0078 0.0625 0.0019–0.5 0.251
T. rubrum (5) KTZ 0.5 2 0.064–64 32.032
AOE 0.5 2 0.0156–4 2.008
AGE 0.0078 0.0625 0.0019–0.5 0.145
M. canis (10) KTZ 0.25 1 0.016–8 3.257
AOE 0.5 2 0.0156–4 2.008
AGE 0.0039 0.0156 0.0019–0.25 0.096
M. gypseum (10) KTZ 0.25 2 0.032–16 6.981
AOE 0.5 2 0.0156–4 2.008
AGE 0.0039 0.0312 0.0019–0.5 0.251
E. fluccosum (5) KTZ 0.125 1 0.016–8 4.008
AOE 0.5 2 0.0156–4 2.008
AGE 0.0039 0.0156 0.0019–0.125 0.063
a
The values are reported as μg/ml for ketoconazole and mg/ml for both onion and garlic extracts.
 M. Shams-Ghahfarokhi et al. / Fitoterapia 77 (2006) 321–323 323

7. Results

As shown in Table 1, plant extracts showed antifungal activities against all fungi tested in a dose dependent manner
with maximum of 100% at defined high concentrations. The activity of AGE against Malassezia furfur, Candida
albicans, other Candida sp. and the dermatophytes was 64 folds, 8 folds, 4 folds and 32–128 folds of the AOE,
respectively. The antifungal activity of both AOE and AGE against M. furfur is reported here for the first time.

8. Conclusion

MIC values showed the susceptibility of all fungi tested to AOE, AGE and KTZ by different extents depending on
the fungal genera and species tested. The potent in vitro activities of AOE and AGE against M. furfur and C. albicans as
the major agents of high-recurrent chronic infections in humans and animals as well as against different zoonotic
dermatophytes suggest a potential therapeutic efficacy of these plant extracts in the treatment of related fungal
disorders.
Further investigation on finding active antifungal components of onion and garlic with special reference to their
mechanisms of action is recommended.

References

[1] Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy, phytochemistry of medicinal plants. Andover: Intercept Ltd.; 1995.
[2] Carson JF. Food Rev Int 1987;3:71.
[3] Block E. Angew Chem 1992;104:1158.
[4] Shams Ghahfarokhi M, Razafsha M, Allameh A, Razzaghi Abyaneh M. Iran Biomed J 2003;7:113.
[5] Uchida K, Nishiyama Y, Tanaka T, Yamaguchi H. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2003;21:234.