Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity Test of Binahong Leaf Extract (Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis)

Abstract

Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis (Binahong) is a medicinal plant that has been used by the indigenous Indonesian community to treat various ailments including surgical wounds, stomach ulcers, and skin problems such as itching and sores. Candida albicans is the most important species responsible for infections in patients with immunological problems associated with invasive fungal diseases. The resistance of Candida species to antifungal drugs has made scientists pay more attention to traditional herbal medicine. Binahong contains secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, steroids and triterpenoids which have antioxidative and antimicrobial activity. This research was conducted to determine the compounds contained in binahong leaf extract using the Harborne method, determine the antioxidant power of binahong leaf extract through DPPH assay, and its antifungal activity using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method against Candida albicans. The results of the phytochemical screening confirmed that ethanol extract of binahong leaves contains flavonoids, tannins, saponins and steroid compounds. Meanwhile, methanol extract of binahong leaves contains saponin and steroid compounds. The antioxidant test using the DPPH method showed that ethanol and methanol binahong leaf extracts had weak antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 370.26 ppm for ethanol extract and 318.85 ppm for methanol extract. Both the ethanol and methanol extracts displayed significant anfungal activity against Candida albicans, with extract concentration as low as 6.25%. With the results obtained, it is suggested that ethanol and methanol extracts can be used as antioxidants and antifungals.