Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oil extracted from leaves of Peumus boldus of the coastal drylands of Chile. The essential oil was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The antifungal activity was evaluated by a microdilution assay against five strains of Candida of clinical importance. P. boldus essential oil had a yield of 0.32% and nineteen compounds were identified in the analysis, mostly ascaridol (49.95%), o-cymene (13.45%) and eucalyptol (9.71%). All yeast strains tested were sensitive to P. boldus essential oil, with C. guillermondi being the most sensitive, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 8 µg/mL, twice lower than the MIC value of 16 µg/mL exhibited by fluconazole and itraconazole. These results suggest that P. boldus essential oil could be used as natural antifungal agents in free form or in a formulation against pathogenic yeasts. © 2025, MS-Editions. All rights reserved.