Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Matricaria recutita flower essential oil against medically important dermatophytes and soil-borne pathogens.

OBJECTIVE: Fungal infections are potential public health threats all over the world. In the present study, effect of Matricaria recutita flower essential oil (EO) was evaluated against medically important dermatophytes and opportunistic saprophytes using microbioassay technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Flower essential oil (EO) of M. recutita prepared by hydrodistillation was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The effect of plant EO on the growth of pathogenic dermatophytes and opportunistic saprophytes was assessed using microbioassay technique. In the bioassay, fungi were cultured in 6-well flat-bottom microplates in presence of various concentrations of plant EO (2.5-1000µg/mL) for 4-10days at 28°C. RESULTS: A total of 14 compounds were identified in the plant oil by GC/MS accounting for 97.5% of the oil composition. The main compound identified was chamazulene (61.3%) followed by isopropyl hexadecanoate (12.7%), trans-trans-farnesol (6.9%) and E-ß-farnesol (5.2%). Growth inhibition for the dermatophytes exposed to serial two-fold concentrations of plant EO (2.5 to 80µg/mL) was reported in the range of 3.24 to 68.15% for Microsporum gypseum, 24.48 to 100% for M. canis, 11.40 to 96.65% for Trichophyton mentagrophytes, 27.79 to 100% for T. rubrum and 45.73 to 100% for T. tonsurans. M. recutita EO inhibited the growth of opportunistic saprophytes by 3.98 to 64.29% for Aspergillus flavus, 6.38 to 93.62% for A. fumigatus, 3.52 to 89.45% for A. niger, 6.38 to 77.66% for Trichoderma harzianum and 17.41 to 89.41% for Fusarium oxysporum in serial two-fold concentrations of 15.62 to 1000µg/mL. CONCLUSION: Results of the present study indicate that M. recutita could be considered as a potential candidate for designing effective antifungal formulations suitable for treatment of dermatophytosis and other fungal infections.

Colour M-mode superiority in evaluation of improvement in myocardial performance indices following successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

AIM: This study aimed at evaluating the early effects of successful elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on systolic and diastolic function. METHODS: We consecutively studied the systolic and diastolic function in 21 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) > 40% before and 48 hours after successful elective PCI. RESULTS: Tei index and systolic indices (LVEF, regional wall motion abnormality score, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and peak systolic velocity of mitral and tricuspid annulus) did not change significantly. Among the diastolic indices, only velocity propagation (Vp) improved significantly (from 42.9 ± 10.8 to 51.8 ± 10.7, p-value = 0.008) following PCI. Diastolic velocities, E/A ratio, deceleration time (DT), early and late diastolic velocities of mitral annulus in TDI, pulmonary vein systolic (PVs) and diastolic flow velocity (PVd) did not show significant improvement. CONCLUSION: Propagation velocity of mitral inflow was the earliest index to recover following successful PCI in patients with stable CAD.