Terminalia arjuna flowers: Secondary metabolites and antifungal activity (original) (raw)

Antifungal compounds from plants

2013

Due to the increase of the incidence of fungal infections in humans and the limitations of the available antimycotic drugs, among which the emergence of resistant strains, there is a need for the discovery of new antifungal agents. Plants, especially those used in Traditional Medicine, linked to an unmatched chemical diversity, either as pure compounds or as plant extracts, provide unlimited opportunities for the development of new antifungals. In recent years, compounds from different phytochemical groups have been described as having antifungal activity, including polyphenols, saponins, or peptides, among others, as well as essential oils and their constituents. After screening of ethnopharmacologically selected plants, mainly from Latin-America, followed by bio-guided isolation, our group has described the antifungal activity of different types of plant constituents, such as sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, lignans, fatty acids and essential oils.

Antifungal activity of medicinal plant extracts; preliminary screening studies

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2008

Ethnopharmacological relevance: In the setting of HIV and organ transplantation, opportunistic fungal infections have become a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus antifungal therapy is playing a greater role in health care. Traditional plants are a valuable source of novel antifungals. Aim of the study: To assess in vitro antifungal activity of aqueous plant extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined for each extract in the setting of human pathogenic fungal isolates. Materials and methods: Plants were harvested and identification verified. Aqueous extracts were obtained and antifungal susceptibilities determined using serial dilutional extracts with a standardized microdilution broth methodology. Twenty-three fungal isolates were cultured and exposed to the plant extracts. Five known antifungals were used as positive controls. Results were read at 48 and 72 h. Results: Of the 14 plants analyzed, Fragaria virginiana Duchesne, Epilobium angustifolium L. and Potentilla simplex Michx. demonstrated strong antifungal potential overall. Fragaria virginiana had some degree of activity against all of the fungal pathogens. Alnus viridis DC., Betula alleghaniensis Britt. and Solidago gigantea Ait. also demonstrated a significant degree of activity against many of the yeast isolates. Conclusion: Fragaria virginiana, Epilobium angustifolium and Potentilla simplex demonstrate promising antifungal potential.

Natural products – antifungal agents derived from plants

Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, 2009

A new spectrum of human fungal infections is increasing due to increased cancer, AIDS, and immunocompromised patients. The increased use of antifungal agents also resulted in the development of resistance to the present drugs. It makes necessary to discover new classes of antifungal compounds to cure fungal infections. Plants are rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites of wide variety such as tannins, terpenoids, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and other compounds, reported to have in vitro antifungal properties. Since the plant kingdom provides a useful source of lead compounds of novel structure, a wide-scale investigation of species from the tropics has been considered. Therefore, the research on natural products and compounds derived from natural products has accelerated in recent years due to their importance in drug discovery. A series of molecules with antifungal activity against different strains of fungus have been found in plants, which are of great importance to humans. These molecules may be used directly or considered as a precursor for developing better molecules. This review attempts to summarize the current status of important antifungal compounds from plants.

9. Natural products: Anti-fungal agents derived from plants

As new spectrums of human fungal infections are increasing due to increased cancer and AIDS patients. The increased use of antifungal agents also resulted in the development of resistance to these drugs. It makes necessary to discover new classes of antifungal compounds to treat fungal infections. The research on natural products and natural products derived compounds has accelerated in recent years due to their importance in drug discovery. Plants are rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites of wide variety such as tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids, reported to have in vitro antifungal properties. A series of molecules with antifungal activity against different strains of fungus have been found in plants, which are of great importance to humans and plants. These molecules may be used directly or considered as a model for developing better molecules. This review attempts to summarize the current status of reported antifungal compounds from plants.

Elucidating the antifungal activity and mechanism of action of bioactive phytochemicals against fungal dermatitis isolates

Archives of Dermatological Research , 2022

Dermatophytosis has been the most common cause of superficial fungal infections which invade the keratinized tissues of body such as nail, hair, and skin, respectively. Although these infections are treatable and many commercial drugs are available that can be applied topically (clotrimazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, miconazole, voriconazole) on the infected areas but they have very low efficacy and has high probability of relapse. To increase the efficacy of treatment, the patient receives supplementary oral medicines for prolong duration that leads to hepatotoxicity. Previously, it has been reported that some wild medicinal plants possess antifungal capacity due to the presence of bioactive molecules. In present study, these phytochemicals (viz. tannins, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids) derived from three test plants [Acacia nilotica (babul), Catharanthus roseus (sadabahar) and Ricinus communis (Arandi)] are used as sources of direct medicinal agents to develop an antidermatophytic drug formulation against the clinical fungal isolates associated with affected population. The mechanism of their antifungal potential of partially purified phytochemicals were analyzed using agar well diffusion method, food inhibition assessment and DNA cleavage analysis. The data revealed that the alkaloids are the most potent component possessing antifungal property that is recommended to be used to formulate topical ointment for the dermatophytic infection after competent regulatory approvals. This can be used as promising source of alternative treatment approach and as a competent substitute for chemically synthesized hepatotoxic drugs that are available in market.

Antifungal activity of some plant extracts against clinical pathogens

and hexane of plants traditionally used as medicines as Valeriana jatamansi (Sugandhbala), Coleus barbatus (Pathar choor), Berberis aristata (Kingore), Asparagus racemosus (Satrawal), Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegha), Achyranthes aspera (Latjiri), Tinospora cordifolia (Giloei), Plantago depressa (Isabgol) were evaluated against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Hydro-alcoholic extracts of all the plants were found to have maximum antifungal activity in comparison to hexane extracts. Hydroalcoholic extracts of Andrographis paniculata and Achyranthes aspera showed maximum potency against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans at highest MIC value of 0.5 and 0.3 mg/ml respectively. Hexane extracts of Andrographis paniculata showed highest MIC value of 0.7 mg/ml against Aspergillus niger.

Antifungal Activity of Medicinal Plant Extracts and Phytocompounds: A Review

Combating Fungal Infections, 2010

Ethnopharmacological relevance: In the setting of HIV and organ transplantation, opportunistic fungal infections have become a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus antifungal therapy is playing a greater role in health care. Traditional plants are a valuable source of novel antifungals. Aim of the study: To assess in vitro antifungal activity of aqueous plant extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined for each extract in the setting of human pathogenic fungal isolates. Materials and methods: Plants were harvested and identification verified. Aqueous extracts were obtained and antifungal susceptibilities determined using serial dilutional extracts with a standardized microdilution broth methodology. Twenty-three fungal isolates were cultured and exposed to the plant extracts. Five known antifungals were used as positive controls. Results were read at 48 and 72 h. Results: Of the 14 plants analyzed, Fragaria virginiana Duchesne, Epilobium angustifolium L. and Potentilla simplex Michx. demonstrated strong antifungal potential overall. Fragaria virginiana had some degree of activity against all of the fungal pathogens. Alnus viridis DC., Betula alleghaniensis Britt. and Solidago gigantea Ait. also demonstrated a significant degree of activity against many of the yeast isolates. Conclusion: Fragaria virginiana, Epilobium angustifolium and Potentilla simplex demonstrate promising antifungal potential.

Screening of selected medicinal plants for their antifungal properties

African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology

Background: The rising incidence of fungal infections has created the need for the next generation of antifungal agents, as many of the currently available ones either have adverse effects, or are not active against emerging or re-emerging fungi, leading to the fast progression of resistant strains. Objectives: This study aims at evaluating the antifungal activities of some medicinal plants used traditionally for treating skin infections in Nigeria. Methods: In vitro antifungal activities of seven indigenous plants (Leptadenia hastate, Lawsonia inermis, Hyptis suaveolens, Luffa cylindrica, Jatropha curcas, Pterocarpus erinaceous and Afromaxia laxiflora) were screened against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida tropicalis ATCC 13803, clinical strains of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis and Epidermophyton floccosum using agar dilution and micro broth dilution methods. Terbinafine and fluconazole were used as reference standards for comparism. Results: The results showed that the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the plants produced better antifungal effects than the hexane and water extracts. Luffa cylindrica and H. suaveolens exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity against all the fungi tested with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging between 250 and 1000 µg/mL. Conclusion: The plants screened could serve as leads for the development of new antifungal drugs.

Studies on the combinations of some herbals with various chemical entities as a potent antifungal agents

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences

A widespread increase in the prevalence of fungal infections has been documented in recent decades. Candida albicans infections, which are frequently refractory and linked with high morbidity and mortality, place a significant burden on public health, despite the fact that existing antifungal medicines are restricted and associated with toxicity. Fungi are one of the most underappreciated killers, as evidenced by the fact that Amphotericin B and other commercially available antifungal therapies are still recognized as gold standards. The majority of commonly used antifungal medications have toxicity, effectiveness, and cost disadvantages. As a result of these limitations, there is a growing demand for the development of a novel antifungal medication treatment that acts selectively on new targets while having the fewest adverse effects. Natural goods, whether as pure phytocompounds or regulated plant extracts, give prospects for the development of lead compounds that may subsequently...