ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY TEST OF THE LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL (Lavandula angustifolia) AGAINST Trichophyton mentagrophytes

Abstract

Dermatophytosis is a zoonotic skin disease generally found in pets and humans caused by fungal colonization of dermatophytes, such as Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Treatment for dermatophytosis is still a challenge due to the antifungal resistance and toxicities of antifungal drugs. Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) contains active compounds such as linalyl acetate, linalool, cineole, camphor, and lavandulyl acetate which are the active chemicals that inhibit the growth of fungi. This research aims to determine antifungal activity test of lavender essential oil in inhibiting the growth of the fungus T. mentagrophytes. The antifungal activity of lavender essential oil was investigated using agar well diffusion method which utilizes Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) as a medium with a variety of lavender essential oil concentrations (5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%). The agar is incubated and the inhibition zone is measured every 24, 48, and 72 hours. The results were descriptively analyzed based on the inhibition zone formed around the agar well. The results show that lavender essential oil at the concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% were able to inhibit the growth of T. mentagrophytes. This result concludes that lavender essential oil at the concentration of 5% is considered as the effective concentration for dermatophytosis treatment because it has the least level of toxicity.