PJB-2018-888
ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS OF PAKISTAN AGAINST SELECTED FUNGI
Dr. HUSSAN ARA BEGUM
Abstract
Medicinal plants are extensively used at local scale because they are naturally characterized with many active substances which are responsible to treat many diseases. In this study, the antifungal properties of Cucumis sativus, Portulaca oleracea, Malus baccata, Saxifraga flagillaris, Geranium wallichianum. and Monotheca buxifolia were evaluated against selected fungal strains such as Alternaria, Acremonium, Verticellium, Pythium, and Tricoderma, using agar well diffusion method. The crude ethanol extract of G. wallichianum was most active against all selected fungal strains ranging from 12.83 to 16.06 mm, followed by P. oleracae and S. flagillaris with a zone of inhibition ranging from 10.33 to 17.00 mm and from 7.90 to 15.33 mm, respectively. Similarly, different fractions of crude ethanol extract of all selected medicinal plants were active against all fungal strains with varying degree of zones of inhibition. C.sativus n-hexane fraction showed the highest activity (20 mm) against Pytium. Dichloromethane fraction of G. wallichianum showed the highest zone of inhibition against Acremonium (28 mm), Alternaria (20.50 mm) and Trichoderma (20 mm). Ethyl acetate fraction of P. oleracea indicated highest antifungal activity against Pythium, Trichoderma (each 18.67 mm) and Verticillium (18.17 mm). These findings suggested that the selected medicinal plants contain different or similar natural products, which can be used against infectious diseases caused by fungi and can be isolated for future as drug sources.
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