Evaluation of thymol inhibition of candida albicans adhesiveness to human vaginal cells

Adhesion is a prerequisite and essential step in the pathogenesis of fungal infection because fungi must first adhere to host tissue in order to form a colony or colonies before any specific symptoms of infection can be detected.Candida albicans is particularly able to adgere to vaginal epithelial cells, endothelial cells, soluble factors and extracellular matrix. Thymol is a component of thyme essential oil that has been reported to possess interesting antimicotic effects, but its ability to ineract with the adhesion of fungi (an important determinant of fungi virulence) has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to assess whether thymol interferes with the adhesion of candida albicans to human vaginal epithelial cells (VECS).Thymol incubated with candida albicans reduces the adhesion to VECS with a significant linear relationship from 1/2 MIC to 1/8 MIC. This is of interest for the strategy of protecting against vaginitis or vaginosis using compounds other than antimicotics.