Effect of Crude and Volatile Oil Extract of Casuarina cunninghamiana Leaves on Candida albicans

Abstract

This research involved extracting the crude and volatile oil from Casuarina cunninghamiana leaves, which are part of the Casuarinaceae family. It also involved doing a phytochemical screen to determine the yield of the crude and volatile oil extract., The antifungal effects of crude and volatile oil extract depended on concentration; for example, a methanol crude extract of leaves expressed its maximal inhibitory zone at 400 mg/ml, which was 20.12 mm, but at low concentrations of 100 mg/ml, it was 13.2 mm. While the inhibitory zone against C. albicans at a high concentration of ethanol crude extract of leaf reached a diameter of 1 9.12 mm. In contrast, the inhibition zone width against C. albicans in the high concentration of hexan volatile oil extract reached 22.15 mm despite the low concentration of reported 12.3 mm. The low concentration of 13.12 mm was however measured. In hexan volatile oil extract, C. albicans exhibited great activity. The width of the inhibitory zone, however, is against C. albicans obtained a diameter of 21.13 mm at a low concentration of 14.12 mm of ether volatile oil extract. The study’s objective is to determine the best extract (crude or volatile oil extract), as well as the best alcoholic extract (methanol, ethanol, ether, and hexan), and the best concentration of the study extracts.