Lavender oil is one of the most valuable aromatherapy oils, its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities can be explained by main components such as linalool, linalyl acetate, lavandulol, geraniol, or eucalyptol. The aim of the study was to assess the anti-microbial effects of two different lavender oils on a mixed microbiota from facial skin. The commercial lavender oil and essential lavender oil from the Crimean Peninsula, whose chemical composition and activity are yet to be published, were used. Both oils were analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The composition and properties of studied oils were significantly different. The commercial ETJA lavender oil contained 10% more linalool and linalyl acetate than the Crimean lavender oil. Both oils also had different effects on the mixed facial skin microbiota. The Gram-positive bacilli were more sensitive to ETJA lavender oil, and Gram-negative bacilli were more sensitive to Crimean lavender oil. However, neither of the tested oils inhibited the growth of Gram-positive cocci. The tested lavender oils decreased the cell number of the mixed microbiota from facial skin, but ETJA oil showed higher efficiency, probably because it contains higher concentrations of monoterpenoids and monoterpenes than Crimean lavender oil does.

No abstract

The ability of a wide variety of soil-borne fungal strains to degrade four structurally different compounds containing P-C bonds, namely the naturally occurring amino acid ciliatine, the popular herbicide glyphosate, phosphonoacetic acid and 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid, was studied in order to show that soil fungi may play an important role in the biodegradation of organophosphonates. Most of the strains appeared to utilize ciliatine as the sole source of phosphorus for growth. Only a limited number of strains were able to grow on the other phosphonates used in this work. The strains of Trichoderma harzianum, Scopulariopsis sp. and Aspergillus niger chosen for more detailed study show the ability to degrade ciliatine, glyphosate and also amino(3-methoxyphenyl)methylphosphonic acid effectively.

Candida yeasts are saprophytes naturally present in the environment and forming colonies on human mucous membranes and skin. They are opportunistic fungi that cause severe and even fatal infections in immunocompromised individuals. Several essential oils, including eucalyptus, pine, cinnamon and lemon, have been shown to be effective against Candida strains. This study addresses the chemical composition of some commercial lemon essential oils and their antifungal potential against selected Candida yeast strains. Antifungal potential and minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined for six commercial lemon essential oils against five Candida yeast strains (Candida albicans 31, Candida tropicalis 32, Candida glabrata 33, Candida glabrata 35 and Candida glabrata 38). On the basis of the GCMS analysis, it was found that the tested lemon essential oils had different chemical compositions, but mostly, they contained almost exclusively terpenes and oxygenated terpenes. The tests show that antifungal potential of lemon essential oils against Candida yeast strains was related to the high content of monoterpenoids and the type of Candida strains. From six tested commercial oils, only four (ETJA, Vera-Nord, Avicenna-Oil and Aromatic Art) shows antifungal potential against three Candida species (C. albicans, C.tropicalis and C.glabrata). Vera-Nord and Avicenna-Oil show the best activity and effectively inhibit the growth of the C. albicans strain across the full range of the concentrations used. Our study characterises lemon essential oils, which could be used as very effective natural remedies against candidiasis caused by C. albicans.

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the chemical composition of eight commercial essential oils (EsO) (garlic, grapefruit, lemon grass, tea tree, thyme, verbena, cajeput, and Litsea cubeba) and their fungistatic activity in relation to four species of Fusarium: F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, and F. oxysporum. The species identification of Fusarium isolates was confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometer. The determination of qualitative and quantitative chemical composition of the EsO was carried out using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method. The fungistatic activity of EsO was assessed by using the method of poisoned substrates. The data were compiled in the STATISTICA 13.0 program. The chemical composition of the tested oils varied; the dominant fraction, except for grapefruit and garlic oils, were monoterpenoids. The greatest similarity to the action of the synthetic pesticide Funaben T was found in four oils, i.e., thyme, lemongrass, verbena, and Litsea cubeba. The studies showed that F. oxysporum and F. avenaceum were characterized by a higher resistance to low oil concentrations, and F. culmorum and F. graminearum by sensitivity. The fungicidal activity of two EsO-dominant monoterpenoids-thymol and citral—has been confirmed.

No abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the chemical composition of lemon, rosewood, geranium and rosemary oils, and compare their effect on the sensitivity of Fusarium graminearum ZALF 24 and Fusarium graminearum ZALF 339 isolated from infected cereals. The tested oils were added to Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium at concentrations of 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0%. The activity of the oils on inhibition of the linear growth of mycelium was evaluated by measuring the growth of fungal colonies (growth index), while the fungistatic activity was evaluated on the basis of the percentage growth inhibition of a fungal colony and calculated according to Abbott’s formula. The sensitivity of the test strains was variable and depended on the type and concentration of the tested oils. Geranium and rosewood oils in all of the concentrations completely inhibited the growth of the used isolates. In contrast, lemon oil relative to F. graminearum ZALF 339 showed the highest activity at a concentration of 1.0% and rosemary oil, 0.5%. The highest activity against F. graminearum ZALF 24 was shown by the oils of rosemary and lemon at concentrations from 1.0% to 2.0%. The susceptibility of Fusarium graminearum isolates was differentiated and depended on the type and concentration of tested oils.

Tar oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbon compounds obtained from high-temperature distillation of coal tar. It has been used for over 100 years from now to protect wood and has been applied to wood products, primary utility poles, and railroad ties by pressure methods. Composition of the tar oil depends on the source and typically consists of 85% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 10% phenolic compounds, and 5% heterocyclic compounds. In this research, we performed the laboratory experiment to compare two types of tar oil: C and GX-Plus, and their effects on P-cycling enzymes (phosphatases) in sandy loam and loamy sand. Tar oil was applied to soil samples at the following doses: 2, 10, and 50 g kg. Soil without tar oil was used as a control sample. The experiment showed that the contamination of soil with tar oil affects the enzyme activities measured and with this most probably the P-cycle in soil. Phosphomonoesterases were the most sensitive to the contamination of soil with both type of tar oil: typeC and type GX-Plus. Greater changes in the enzymatic activity were observed in the loamy sand. Moreover, the type C tar oil demonstrated higher toxicity for phosphatases than type GX-Plus.