Abstract

STUDIES ON ANTIFUNGAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST HUMAN PATHOGENS

Vinitha Rani and Chandra M.*

Abstract

Total of six extracts of three plant samples viz., Punica granatum (peels) Swertia chirata (leaves) and Citrullus lanatus (seeds) in two solvents were evaluated for their antifungal activity. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the samples were prepared by Hot Extraction Method. The antifungal activity was measured by Agar Well Diffusion method and concentration was 100 mg/ 10 μl. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration was found out using Broth Dilution Method. The results of the study showed the presence of wide spectrum of antifungal activity against human pathogens such as Saccharomyces cereveciae and Candida krusei. The ethanolic extracts of Punica granatum showed the best results. The efficiency of the peel extracts was compared to the most commonly used commercially available drugs. Punica granatum showed the highest antioxidant property when compared to Swertia chirata and Citrullus lanatus. The extracts showed the presence of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, tannin, saponin which are responsible for the antifungal activity.

Keywords: Antifungal, Antioxidant, Citrullus lanatus, Punica granatum, Swertia chirata.