Effectiveness and Tolerability of a Standardized Extract from Ageratina pichinchensis on Patients with Tinea Pedis: An Explorative Pilot Study Controlled with Ketoconazole

Abstract

Ageratina pichinchensis has been used for many years in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of superficial mycosis. Previous studies have demonstrated the antifungal effectiveness of a hexane extract from aerial parts of this plant on in vitro cultures of Candida albicans, Aspergillium niger, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Trichophyton rubrum. To compare the effectiveness and tolerability of A. pichinchensis with ketoconazole in patients with the clinical and mycological diagnosis of tinea pedis, we carried out a double-blind pilot study. The experimental group was treated topically with a cream containing A. pichinchensis standardized extract (10 %), while the control group was administered a similarly colored cream containing 2 % ketoconazole. All patients were clinically followed weekly for 4 weeks. By means of a mycological examination (direct microscopic detection), the mycological diagnosis of tinea pedis was performed. This technique was also used for evaluating the mycological effectiveness at the end of treatment. A total of 120 patients were included, 60 in each treatment group. Of these, 97 patients were included in the statistical analysis, 51 from the experimental group and 46 controls. The remainder of the patients withdrew from the study due to non-medical causes. Clinical effectiveness was reached in 80.3 and 76 %, while therapeutic success was achieved in 80.3 and 71.7 % of the experimental and control groups, respectively. There were no statistical differences between groups (P = 0.31). Our results suggest the effectiveness and tolerability of a standardized extract from A. pichinchensis in treatment of patients with tinea pedis.

Establishment of a Cell Suspension Culture of Ageratina pichinchensis (Kunth) for the Improved Production of Anti-Inflammatory Compounds

“…Phytochemically, the aerial parts of A. pichinchensis are characterized by containing sterols, triterpenes, benzochromenes, and benzofurans [ 13 , 14 ]. The benzochromenes isolated from A. pichinchensis showed insecticidal [ 12 ], antifungal [ 15 , 16 ], and gastroprotective activities [ 17 ]. However, the production of these compounds can be unsustainable through the large-scale planting of A. pichinchensis , because many secondary metabolites tend to vary their production according to climatic fluctuations, as has happened with other species [ 18 ].…”

Double-Blind Clinical Trial for Evaluating the Effectiveness and Tolerability ofAgeratina pichinchensisExtract on Patients with Mild to Moderate Onychomycosis. A Comparative Study with Ciclopirox

“…The main antimycotic activity has been attributed to encecalin, an acetylchromene compound that has been identified in other plants from the Asteraceae family and that possesses activity against dermatophytes [8]. Recently, a double-blind clinical trial demonstrated an effectiveness of an 80.3 % A. pichinchensis extract in patients with the diagnosis of tinea pedis [9]. Onychomycosis is a high-prevalence infectious disease produced by a fungus that possesses important limitations for pharmacological treatment.…”

Insecticide Activity of Ageratina jahnii and Ageratina pichinchensis (Asteraceae) against Lutzomyia migonei (Diptera: Psychodidae)

“…A. pichinchensis is also known as antifungal; some reports have indicated that hexanic extracts are effective against infections caused by Trichophyton rubrum ,[111213] fungus responsible for 80% of onychomycosis and athlete's foot infections. In addition, A. pichinchensis and A. jahnii essential oils have demonstrated antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis bacteria.…”