Assessment of Antidermatophytic Activity and chemical composition of Nigerian Citrus senensis (L.) Osbeck Essential Oil against Multidrug-Resistant Pathogenic dermatophytes Isolated from Tinea capitis Samples

Essential oil (EO) may confer a possible panacea to fight against multidrug-resistant dermatophytes. This study aims at determining the antidermatophytic activity of EO from the fruit peel of Nigerian Citrus senensis (L.) Osbeck against multidrug-resistant (MDR) tinea capitis dermatophytes and their possible chemical composition. The EO was reaped by hydro-distillation and the chemical composition was investigated using gas chromatography/ mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The antidermatophytic activity was evaluated using the agar diffusion method against four dermatophyte strains (Two MDR dermatophytes, one reference strain, and one susceptible). The minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations (MIC/MFC) were determined by agar dilution methods. The test results revealed EO to be active against all strains. The EO subjected to boiling temperature (100 0 C) had an increased amount of α-terpineol, β-Linalool, Carveol, Carvone, and other imaginative compounds such as 1-Octanol (Heptyl carbinols) with increased antidermatophytic activity. Our study suggests that this EO could be used clinically to treat or prevent dermatophytic infections associated with multidrug-resistant strains.