Abstract
Medicinal plants have long been prescribed in Thailand for centuries. Different constituents of extracts have been used for treating of various infectious diseases. However, there is even less information available regarding the use in fungal skin infection. In order to assess traditional Thai claims about the therapeutic potential, this study is focused on exploring the anti-dermatophyte property of the plants that are currently used as traditional medicines. The potential of four different plant species were selected for investigate in vitro anti-dermatophyte activity. Ethanolic extracts of Chromolaena odorata (L.), Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.), Eclipta prostrate (Linn.), and Acorus calamus (L.). were analysed for their total phenolic content as well as total flavonoid content and were then subjected to test of their anti-dermatophyte properties using agar well diffusion method. Qualitative flavonoids and phenolics analysis of the extracts showed their biologically active constituents. Among the species examined, the result indicated that most of the extracts demonstrated anti-dermatophyte activity. In particular, A. calamus showed the highest efficacy against test organisms. The experiment confirmed the chemical constituents and efficacy of some selected plants and provides a scientific confirmation of the use of Thai plants in traditional medicine for fungal skin infections.
Highlights
Dermatophytes are keratinophilic fungi that is a unique group of fungi that infect keratinous tissue of a living human hosts and other animals to produce an infection (Havlickova et al, 2008)
We investigated the anti-fungal activity, against dermatophytes fungi that cause cutaneous infections, of 4 Thai-herbal plants collected in Northern Thailand and used in traditional medicines namely: Chromolaena odorata (L.), Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.), Eclipta prostrate (Linn.), Acorus calamus (L.)
Plants belonging to different families, from the region of Northern Thailand were screened for their anti-fungal activity against dermatophytes
Summary
Dermatophytes are keratinophilic fungi that is a unique group of fungi that infect keratinous tissue (skin, hair, and nails) of a living human hosts and other animals to produce an infection (Havlickova et al, 2008). T. mentagrophytes is a zoophilic dermatophyte of wild and domestic rodents that often attacks humans and may survive saprophytically in the soil (Terragni et al, 1993) It is a contagious fungus which primarily causes dermatophytosis such as tinea pedis, tinea unguium, tinea corporis, and tinea capitis. While T. rubrum is the most prevalent dermatophyte isolated from humans with accounting for about 80% of dermatomycoses that affect keratinized tissues such as skin, hair, and nails (Gupta and Nakrieko, 2015) It is a worldwide agent responsible for chronic cases of dermatophytosis which have high rates of resistance to anti-fungal drugs (Pereira et al, 2013). Infections due to T. rubrum are often associated with frequent relapses following cessation of anti-fungal therapy (Mukherjee et al, 2003)
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