Indian Medicinal Plants: A Potential Source for Anticandidal Drugs

Abstract

Alcoholic and aqueous crude extracts of 37 traditionally-used medicinal plants were screened for antifungal activity against the pathogenic yeast, Candida albicans, and dermatophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton rubrum. Alcoholic extracts of these 37 plants were demonstrated to have antifungal activity. Twenty-one extracts showed strong activity and the remaining 16 plants exhibited moderate activity against Candida albicans and to one or more dermatophytes. Such activity was detected in only 16 aqueous extracts. Alcoholic extracts of five medicinal plants were selected for further studies on the basis of their strong anticandidal activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of these five extracts revealed their varied anticandidal potency. MIC values ranged between 4-9 mg/ml. Comparatively high potency was observed in the extracts of Plumbago zeylanica (4mg/ml) followed by Terminalia bellirica and Phyllanthus emblica (7 mg/ml), each Holarrhena antidysentrica (8 mg/ml), and least in Terminalia chebula (9 mg/ml). Preliminary phytochemical analysis of these extracts showed the presence of many biologically active constituents.

The development of Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae) in clinical research

“…and three yeasts (Candida spp.) has also been documented [61] . An aqueous extract of galls of T. chebula showed inhibitory effects on three dermatophytes (Trichophyton spp.)…”

Potential of some bacteria for biological control of postharvest citrus green mould caused by Penicillium digitatum

“…The antifungal activity of cell-free filtrates of bacteria against fungi grown on PDA was observed using the diffusion method (Mehmood et al 1999). Erlenmeyer flasks containing 150 ml of liquid NB medium were inoculated with 1.5 ml bacterial suspension containing 10 8 CFU/ml and incubated under rotary shaking (180 rpm) at 28°C for 7 days.…”

Therapeutic Potency of a Siddha Formulation Kandhaga Rasayanam: A Review

“…Alcoholic extracts of Plumbago zeylanica showed strong antifungal activity against the pathogenic yeast, Candida albicans and dermatophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton rubrum. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was found to be 4 mg/ml 29,122 . Sulphur is a known anti fungal, antibacterial agent.…”

“…In vitro antimicrobial activity of Smilax china was reported by Shu Xiao-Shun et al 22 . [28][29][30] .…”