Antifungal Activities of Essential Oils from Glehnia littoralis Alone and in Combination with Ketoconazole

The antifungal activities of essential oils from the leaves of Glehnia littoralis, which is cultivated in Korea, were evaluated against pathogenic Trichophyton species by the broth dilution method and the disk diffusion test. Additionally, the effects of the oils together with ketoconazole were tested by the checkerboard titer test. The essential oil fraction and its main components showed significant inhibition of the tested Trichophyton fungi, with minimal inhibitor concentrations (MICs) in the range of 16-32 mg/ml. The results suggest that activities of this oil are based mainly on the contents of ${\alpha}-pinene$ (22.17%), the next prominent component of the oil fraction, while the first main components ${\beta}-pinene$ (57.83%) have relatively mild activity. The MICs of ${\alpha}-pinene$ and ${\beta}-pinene$ were 1-4 mg/ml and 4-32 mg/ml, respectively. Additionally the Glehnia oil fraction and its main components as well, exhibited significant synergism with ketoconazole against Trichophyton rubrum.