EVALUATION OF ANTICANDIDAL EFFECTS OF ESSENTIAL OILS OF COMMERCIAL LAVENDER (Lavandula angustifolia Miller) IN COMBINATION WITH KETOCONAZOLE AGAINTS SOME Candida Berkhout STRAINS

Application of combination studies with essential oils and standard antifungal drugs may reduce adverse effects of synthetic drugs and serve as alternative approach against various pathologies including candidiasis. The aim of the present study was to determine the interaction of two commercial lavender ( Lavandula angustifolia Miller) essential oils in combination with ketoconazole against clinical and standard strains of the human pathogens Candida albicans ATCC 10231, C. krusei NRRL Y-7179 and C. glabrata ATCC 66032. The chemical compositions of the investigated essential oils were confirmed both by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) methods. Anticandidal activities of the essential oils were screened in vitro by the microdilution method. The resulting interaction of combining lavender essential oils and ketoconazole was tested using the checkerboard method. The results showed that the interaction between essential oils and ketoconazole revealed additive and indifferent effects against the tested strains. In conclusion, the effects observed by the combination of lavender essential oils and ketoconazole may be encouraging to be used against pathogenic Candida strains.