Eugenol and thymol, alone or in combination, induce morphological alterations in the envelope of Candida albicans

The envelope of Candida albicans, with its outermost array of macromolecules protruding towards the environment, is pivotal to the expression of major virulence factors such as adhesiveness, and the morphological transition to hyphal form. We tested the anticandidal activity of eugenol, main component of clove oil, and thymol, main component of thyme oil, alone or in combination, by investigating their ability to interfere with the architecture of the envelope of C albicans. Both molecules alterated the morphogenesis of the envelope, but the effects of thymol were more pronounced than those of eugenol. Certain combinations of the two molecules led to a synergistic effect, which is interesting in the view of potentiating their inhibition of C. albicans colonisation and infectiousness. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.