In vitro antifungal effect of Artemisia austriacea extract on Candida albicans

Today, fungal diseases caused by opportunistic fungi have increased significantly, and antifungal drugs have side effects, so the replacement with natural drugs is an important issue. Plants, which are a rich source of natural metabolites, are of great interest. In this study, the antifungal activity of Artemisia austriacea leaf extract on Candida albicans was investigated. Thirty samples of C. albicans were obtained from Microorganisms Bank at Razi hospital of Tehran. Tube mass testing and biochemical tests were performed to confirm C. albicans. Antibiogram was performed to determine antibiotic resistance against Clotrimazole and Ketoconazole. Ethanolic extract of A. austriacea leaves was prepared using the Soxhlet method. The antifungal effects of the plant extract against Candida albicans were investigated in vitro using diffusion test (well) at different concentrations. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by the microdilution method and the minimum lethal concentration of fungi was determined. The results displayed that A. austriacea extract has very good antifungal activity and can inhibit the growth of C. albicans. The minimum inhibitory concentration of ethanolic extract of A. austriacea leaves with a concentration of ۸۰ ± ۰.۵ mg/ml has an antifungal effect on the growth of C. albicans and with a concentration of ۱۶۰ ± ۱ mg/ml had a growth inhibitory effect. The mean diameter of the growth inhibition zone was ۱۲ ± ۰.۵۷ mm which had acceptable results in comparison with Ketoconazole and Clotrimazole (p≤۰.۰۵). Today, medicinal plants are very popular in pharmacy and medicine due to the antimicrobial metabolites they produce. Given the high prevalence of this fungal disease and the side effects of chemical drugs, plants such as Artemisia austriacea can be processed for further drug researches.

کلیدواژه ها:

opportunistic fungi ، medicinal plants ، minimum inhibitory concentration