Figure 3.

Effect of L. multifida essential oil on Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum biofilm disruption. Dermatophytes adhered for 3 h to a surface and were allowed to grow for 72 h and then exposed to the essential oil for an additional 24 h. The parameters assessed included biofilm mass using crystal violet assay (dark bars), extracellular matrix by safranin staining (gray bars), and biofilm viability using XTT assay (dotted bars) (A,C); hypha diameter (B,D); and optical microscopy observations (E). Results are expressed as a percentage relative to control of a minimum of three independent experiments (mean ± SEM; * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, **** p < 0.0001, compared to control); scale bar = 20 µm; close-up: 10 µm.