Safety and efficacy of fermented olive tree leaf extract for treatment of paronychia and neoscytalidium dimidiatum onychomycosis: A pilot study

Abstract

© 2018, Medical Association of Thailand. All rights reserved. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Olea europaea leaf extract for treatment of chronic paronychia and Neoscytalidium dimidiatum onychomycosis. Materials and Methods: The present prospective pilot study was conducted. O. europaea leaf extract was applied twice a day. Assessment parameters were evaluated at baseline, 2-, 4-, and 6-months. Results: A total of 9 chronic paronychia patients and 9 N. dimidiatum onychomycosis patients were included. Concerning chronic paronychia, thumb nail was common affecting site. Candida albicans revealed in 6 (66.7%). Comparing with baseline, severity of chronic paronychia was significantly reduced within 6 months after treatment (p = 0.021). For N. dimidiatum onychomycosis, all affected on big toenails. Mean normal nail length at baseline was 7.1 mm, which significantly improved after 6 months treatment to 8.9 mm (p = 0.016). Nail thickness significantly reduced after 6 months treatment (p = 0.001). No adverse events were observed in the present study. Conclusion: O. europaea leaf extract has been shown to be an effective and safe alternative topical treatment for chronic paronychia from Candida spp. infection and N. dimidiatum onychomycosis. No side effect was found in the present study. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02464826.