In vitro antidermatophytic activity of bioactive compounds from selected medicinal plants

Area of Science:

• Mycology and Pharmaceutical Botany
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Antimicrobial Drug Discovery

Background:

• Fungal infections pose significant challenges due to pathogen similarities with host cells, hindering antifungal drug development.
• Medicinal plants offer a valuable resource for discovering novel antifungal compounds.
• Dermatophytic fungi are common causes of superficial infections requiring effective treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the antifungal activity of sixteen medicinal plant extracts against dermatophytic fungi.
• To identify and characterize the active antifungal compounds from promising plant extracts.
• To evaluate the potential of these natural compounds as alternative antifungal therapies.

Main Methods:

• Screening of sixteen plant extracts for antifungal activity against selected dermatophytic species.
• Direct bioassay using Cladosporium herbarum to locate antifungal compounds.
• Infrared (IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometry for compound identification.

Main Results:

• Asparagus racemosus (cladode) and Cassia occidentalis (seed) extracts exhibited significant antifungal activity.
• Antifungal compounds identified as saponins in A. racemosus and hydroxy anthraquinones in C. occidentalis.
• These compounds demonstrated antidermatophytic activity with minimal reported hemolytic activity.

Conclusions:

• Asparagus racemosus and Cassia occidentalis possess potent antifungal properties.
• Saponins and hydroxy anthraquinones are key antifungal agents in these plants.
• These natural compounds represent promising candidates for developing novel, safe antifungal therapies.