Phytochemical, Toxicological and In vitro Antifungal Studies of Mitracarpus hirtus L.

Objective: Fungal infection, particularly in Nigeria, is a serious public health issue and it is one of the most common infections in Sub-saharan Africa. Thus, in this work, phytochemical screening, acute toxicity and antifungal evaluation on the methanol extracts of the different parts (leaves, seed and aerial part) of Mitracarpus hirtus against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Histoplasm capsulatum, Mucor sp, Microsporum canis, Microsporum gallinae, Trichophyton mentagrophyte, and Trichophyton rubrum using agar well diffusion and broth dilution techniques. [m۱]  Material and Methods: The phytochemical screening of the methanol extracts of the different parts of the plant revealed the presence of tannins saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids and terpenoids and the median lethal dose (LD۵۰) was estimated to be greater than ۵۰۰۰ mg/kg which indicates that the plant is non-toxic. Results: Susceptibility test for the methanol extracts showed mean zone of inhibition ranging from ۱۹.۳۳ – ۲۳.۳۳ mm against the test organisms while the standard drug, Fulcin had ۲۴.۳۳ – ۳۱.۶۷ mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts ranges between ۰.۲۵ - ۰.۵۰ mg/mL while the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) ranges between ۰.۲۵ – ۱.۰۰ mg/mL against some of the fungal pathogens. Conclusion: The findings of this study have revealed the antifungal efficacy of methanol extracts of the different part of M. hirtus which supports the ethno-medicinal claim of the use of the plant in the treatment of fungal infections.