Antimicrobial activity of Mentha piperita and Saturenja hortensis in a murine model of cutaneous protothecosis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To date there is no defined pharmacologic treatment protocol available against cutaneous protothecosis, which is difficult to combat using conventional drugs. OBJECTIVES: Our experiment aimed to comparatively investigate the effect of two essential oils (Mentha piperita and Saturenja hortensis) against cutaneous protothecosis experimentally induced by Prototheca zopfii in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunosuppressed BALB/c female mice, were divided into six experimental groups, infected with P.&#xa0;zopfii, and then treated for 21 days against the infection. The effectiveness of the different treatments was assessed clinically and histologically by quantifying the degree of inflammation (immunohistochemical quantification of macrophages, T lymphocytes and neutrophils) and fibrosis. RESULTS: Skin lesions in experimental protothecosis from non-treated mice were more severe as compared to the four groups of treated animals. Both M.&#xa0;piperita and S.&#xa0;hortensis have proved to be efficient in vivo in the treatment of cutaneous protothecosis by reducing the clinical signs and significantly reducing the degree of inflammation (P<0.05 for the number of macrophages, T lymphocytes and neutrophils) and fibrosis as compared to untreated animals. CONCLUSION: Interestingly, our study shows that M.&#xa0;piperita and S.&#xa0;hortensis could represent a potential source of natural antimicrobial products in the treatment of cutaneous protothecosis.