Inhibition of Candida albicans and induced vaginitis by sapindus water extract

In this study, water extract of Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. pericarps against Candida albicans was evaluated through in vitro and in vivo studies. The most abundant active ingredient was triterpenoid saponins determined by UPLC-TOF-MS analysis. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.039 mg/mL by using agar double dilution methods. The percentage of inhibition was 93.07% when C. albicans was treated for 4 h using a 1 mg/mL in vitro dose. A vaginitis model was developed by infecting mice with C. albicans. The fungal burden was tracked, which indicated that 10 mg/mL triterpenoid saponins reduced fungal quantity ranging from 3.0 to 1.84 Log CFU/100 μL. Moreover, the subsequent studies regarding four biomarkers with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were conducted. It was confirmed that interleukin IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were lower than untreated group, and vaginal pathology was significantly improved in tissue sections.