Aim: Geraniol and linalool are major constituents of the essential oils of medicinal plants. Materials & methods: Antifungal activity of geraniol and linalool were evaluated against five Candida species. The genotoxicity of these compounds was evaluated by the cytokinesis-block micronucleus test, and the embryotoxic assays use zebrafish model. Results: Geraniol and linalool inhibited Candida growth, but geraniol was more effective. The geraniol at concentration of 800 μg/ml and the linalool at concentration of 125 μg/ml significantly increased chromosome damage. Geraniol was more toxic to zebrafish embryo than linalool: LC₅₀ values were 31.3 and 193.3 μg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: Geraniol and linalool have anticandidal activity, but they also exert genotoxic and embryotoxic effects at the highest tested concentrations.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

Papers of special note have been highlighted as: • of interest; •• of considerable interest

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Vol. 13, No. 15

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Received 8 July 2018

Accepted 31 October 2018

Published online 27 November 2018

Published in print November 2018

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Keywords

Author contributions

TM Vieira and AEM Crotti contributed with reagents, material and GC analyses. JL Singulani, JL Damasceno, RS Pedroso, AB Ribeiro, HD Nicolella and KS Freitas performed the experiments. DC Tavares, CHG Martins and MJS Mendes-Gianini supervised the experiments and laboratory work. RH Pires designed the experiments and drafted the manuscript. All the authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, Proc. 2007/54241-8). The research fellowship provided by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) to AEM Crotti is duly acknowledged. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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