Abstract
Casuarina equisetifolia (L.) (Casuarinaceae) and Oxalis corniculata (L.) (Oxalidaceae), two medicinal plants used in Bénin were screened for their antifungal activity against six strains of the genus Aspergillus (Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus nidulans). The antioxidant activity and phytochemical constituents were also examined. The extracts were screened for the presence of alkaloids, coumarin, anthracene derivatives, flavonoids, lignans, essential oils, naphtoquinones and terpenoids. The antifungal activity was carried out using agar diffusion method, while antioxidant activity was determined by the 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazine method. Phytochemical investigation revealed the presence of flavonoids, anthracenic derivatives, essential oil, pigments, terpene and triterpene in the leaves of O. corniculata and terpene and pigments in the fruits of C. equisetifolia. The antifungal activity of extracts is more marked on the sporulation (17.74 to 99.48%) than the mycelia development (7.69 to 65.71%). Methanol and hydro-ethanol extracts showed the best inhibitory percentage of DPPH radical (78 to 95%). Key words: Medicinal plants, antifungal and antioxidant activity, phytochemical.
Highlights
Human infections represent a critical problem to health and they are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide (Kumar et al, 2010)
The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of extracts obtained from fruits of C. equisetifolia (Casuarinaceae) and leaves of O. corniculata (Oxalidaceae) against six species of Aspergillus
Fruits of C. equisetifolia and leaves of O. corniculata were collected by botanist of the National Herbarium of University of AbomeyCalavi in September, 2010 in the area of Ouidah, Department of Atlantic
Summary
Human infections represent a critical problem to health and they are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide (Kumar et al, 2010). Diagnosis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis are one of the unmet needs in medicine today (Lin et al, 2001; Patterson, 2001). The use of herbs in the treatment of man and animal disease has been practiced before the advent of modern antibiotics (Soforowa, 1982). The use of medicinal herbs in parts of the world has been supported by the isolation of active antifungal compounds from plant extracts (Fabry et al, 1996). In recent decades, there has been a renewed interest in the use of medicinal plants.
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