Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of Dichrostachys cinerea extracts against some isolates of dermatophytic fungi. The powdered plant materials were extracted via soxhlet extraction technique using methanol, dichloromethane and petroleum ether as extraction solvents. The extracts were subjected to phytochemical screening for qualitative detection of plant secondary metabolites. The extracts were further tested for antifungal activity against human isolates of Microsporum canis, Trichophyton terrestre, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton verrucosum. The results of phytochemical screening showed the presence of some secondary metabolites including; alkaloids, tannins, saponins, glycosides and steroid. Antifungal activity testing indicated that all the extracts were active against the isolates tested with the exception of T. verrucosum. Pet ether extracts showed the least activity as reflected in the zone of inhibition (24 mm at 50 mg/ml), against the isolates compared to methanol (30 mm at 25 mg/ml) and dichloromethane (30 mm at 50 mg/ml) extracts. The findings of this study, indicated that the plant is a potential for the drug candidate for the treatment of dermatophytic diseases and support the claim for their traditional use against skin diseases
Highlights
For several years, there has been an increased intrest in the study of different extracts obtained from traditional medicinal plants as potential sources of new antimicrobial agents
The search for new antimicrobial agents is an important line of research because of the resistance acquired by several pathogenic microorganisms (Hossain et al, 2012; Riffle et al, 2002)
This was due to evidences that these plant derived compounds have a potential for many biological activities which include antimicrobial activity (Savoia, 2012)
Summary
There has been an increased intrest in the study of different extracts obtained from traditional medicinal plants as potential sources of new antimicrobial agents. Inhibitory activity of the plant extracts on the test organisms The inhibitory effect of D. cinerea leaves and stem extracts showed that all extracts were effective against all the dermatophytes isolates tested with the exception of Trichophyton verrucosum which showed resistance to all the extracts. Key: DSM= D cinerea stem methanol extract, DSD=D cinerea stem dichloromethane extract, DSP=D cinerea stem petroleum ether
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