Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
Molecules. 2022 Jun 28;27(13):4140. doi: 10.3390/molecules27134140.
Respiratory mycosis is a major health concern, due to the expanding population of immunosuppressed and immunocompromised patients and the increasing resistance to conventional antifungals and their undesired side-effects, thus justifying the development of new therapeutic strategies. Plant metabolites, namely essential oils, represent promising preventive/therapeutic strategies due to their widely reported antifungal potential. However, regarding fungal infections of the respiratory tract, information is disperse and no updated compilation on current knowledge is available. Therefore, the present review aims to gather and systematize relevant information on the antifungal effects of several essential oils and volatile compounds against the main type of respiratory mycosis that impact health care systems. Particular attention is paid to , the main pathogen involved in aspergillosis, , currently emerging as a major pathogen in certain parts of the world, and , one of the main pathogens involved in pulmonary cryptococcosis. Furthermore, the main mechanisms of action underlying essential oils' antifungal effects and current limitations in clinical translation are presented. Overall, essential oils rich in phenolic compounds seem to be very effective but clinical translation requires more comprehensive in vivo studies and human trials to assess the efficacy and tolerability of these compounds in respiratory mycosis.
呼吸道真菌感染是一个严重的健康问题，这是由于免疫抑制和免疫功能低下患者的人数不断增加，以及传统抗真菌药物的耐药性不断增加和它们的不良副作用，这证明了开发新的治疗策略的必要性。植物代谢物，即精油，由于其广泛报道的抗真菌潜力，代表了有前途的预防/治疗策略。然而，关于呼吸道真菌感染，信息分散，目前没有关于现有知识的最新综合资料。因此，本综述旨在收集和系统整理有关几种精油和挥发性化合物对影响医疗保健系统的主要呼吸道真菌感染的抗真菌作用的相关信息。特别关注的是，它是曲霉菌病的主要病原体，目前在世界某些地区正成为主要病原体，以及，它是肺隐球菌病的主要病原体之一。此外，还介绍了精油抗真菌作用的主要作用机制和当前在临床转化方面的局限性。总的来说，富含酚类化合物的精油似乎非常有效，但临床转化需要更全面的体内研究和人体试验，以评估这些化合物在呼吸道真菌感染中的疗效和耐受性。
