Antifungal Properties of Ethanolic Extract of Holarrhena Pubescens against Candida Species

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem that jeopardizes the efficient use of modern medicine and the state of the world's health. The effectiveness of traditional antifungals used to treat fungal infections has declined, increasing mortality. Following exposure to antifungal medications, acquired mechanisms can lead to the development of resistance to currently available antifungal medicines. Invasive fungal infections have few treatment choices, and patients who are most at risk frequently have other co-morbid conditions, such as immunosuppression. This problem is made worse by the paucity of novel antifungals now under research. One potential research avenue for tackling the problem of MDR fungal pathogens is plants that are used in traditional medicine. When used to treat infectious diseases, antimicrobials derived from plants have a great deal of therapeutic promise and have less adverse effects than their synthetic counterparts. In this study, the possible antifungal action of ethanolic extract of Holarrhena pubescens was tested against American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and Multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of pathogenic fungi, Candida species. Antifungal activities of ethanolic extract of Holarrhena pubescens were studied by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value which was done by serial dilution in Mueller Hinton broth.The ethanolic extract of Holarrhena pubescensshowedantifungal activities exhibiting MIC values varying between 1.5625-3.125 mg/mL in both ATCC and MDR fungal pathogenic strains of Candida. Ethanolic extract of Holarrhena pubescenswas found to have effective antifungal activity against Candida species andcould be the cure to invasive candidiasis which is a global health threat.