Antifungal Effectiveness Test of Cinnamon Extract (Cinnamomum Burmannii) Against Candida Albicans

Abstract

Background: Candida albicans, is a normal flora that lives on the oral mucosa, digestive tract and vagina. Candida albicans can cause infection such as oral candidiasis. A number of antifungal agents are widely used in the treatment of Candida infections, but some antifungal drugs sometimes have unpleasant side effects. This prompted researchers to examine the contents of natural ingredients that have antifungal activity, one of which is cinnamon. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii) contains several chemical compounds including cinnamaldehyde and eugenol which are components that have antifungal effects. Objective: to analyze the effectiveness of cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii) antifungal against Candida albicans. Materials and Methods: The research was performed as laboratory experiment that calculates the diameter of inhibition using the agar-well diffusion method. 25 samples tested were Candida albicans cultured in SDA (Saboroud Dextrose Agar) medium. Variations in treatment concentrations were cinnamon extract (Cinnamomum burmannii) 25%, 50%, 75%, nystatin oral suspension (positive control), and aquades (negative control). Results: The average inhibition of 75% cinnamon extract (Cinnamomum burmannii) was 16.8 mm, whereas in the positive control nystatin oral suspension was 13.4 mm. The hypothesis test has a value of p=0.000 (p<0.05). Conclusion: There is an antifungal effectiveness of cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii) against Candida albicans at a concentration of 75%.