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In vitro antifungal activities of naphtoquinone-derivatives, which are constituents of Shikon, roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, were investigated against several fungal pathogens. When the biological activity of these compounds was tested against fungi, a wide range of sensitivity was recorded. Shikonin was found to have a stronger than fluconazole against yeast-like fungi: four-fold against Candida krusei (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC); 4 microg/ml) and two-fold (MIC; 4 microg/ml) against Saccharomyces cerevisiae, though it showed the same potency as fluconazole against C. glabrata. Deoxyshikonin also exhibited four-fold stronger activity against C. krusei (MIC; 4 microg/mi) and three-fold (MIC; 2 microg/ml) stronger against S. cerevisiae. Acetylshikonin and beta-hydroxyisovaleryl shikonin showed lower activities against all fungal pathogens except for C. krusei compared with the standard. Against the filamentous fungus, Trichosporon cutaneum, all naphthoquinones were found to have a range of activity with lower potency than standard. This result provides a rational basis for the clinical use of shikon and shows the possibility of its use in medicinal treatment as an anti-inflammatory agent with antifungal activity.
Sasaki et al. (Tue,) studied this question.