Evaluation of Antifungal Effects of Aqueous Extract of Mentha Longifolia Using 0.2% Chlorhexidine on Clinical Isolates of Candida Albicans from Oral Cavity of Patients with Leukemia

Candida species have been associated with the emergence of resistant strains against antifungal agents, recently. Antifungal agents are usually accompanied with side effects. Plant products have been used traditionally as alternative medicine to cure candidiasis. So it seems vital to find the new antimicrobial agents with fewer side effects. In this survey, we aimed to evaluate the antifungal effects of aqueous extracts of Mentha longifolia against oral pathogenic candida species.

This study was conducted on Candida albicans ( ATCC 10261), and ten Candida albicans isolated from leukemia (AML and ALL) patients with thrush.  
The antifungal activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Mentha longifolia extract were evaluated and then MIC results compared with
Chlorhexidine and nystatin.

Mentha longifolia extract showed antifungal properties. MIC results of extract were in the range of 31.25 to 125 µg/ml. while MIC of Chlorhexidine were in the range of 125 to 250 µg/ml. Moreover, a significance difference was not observed between MIC of standard species and clinical isolates of Candida albicans (P>0.05). According to the results, aqueous extract of Mentha longifolia was more successful in inhibition of growth of Candida isolates, compared to
Chlorhexidine (P<0.001).

The inhibitory effects of Mentha longifolia extract have shown that it has potential to be considered as a promising candidate for the development of antifungal agent for treatment of thrush.