Antifungal Potential of Selected Medicinal Plants Against Candida albicans and HPLC Analysis

Background: The number of life-threatening diseases like “Candidiasis” is rapidly increasing worldwide. The effective management of the disease is indeed a great challenge for the clinician. Objectives: In an approach to develop effective antifungal compounds for growing fungal diseases, the present study was conducted to investigate the antifungal activity of selected medicinal plants collected from district Mardan. Methods: Vitis vinifera (Grapes), Lawsonia inermis (Henna), Millettia ovalifolia (Moulmein rosewood), Azadirachta indica (Neem), and Mentha arvensis (Mint). Methanolic extracts of these plant leaves were used against C. albican by using the Disc diffusion susceptibility method. Phytochemical analysis of methanolic plant extracts was then carried out using (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) HPLC. Results: The result obtained showed that methanolic extract of V. vinifera shows 4, 5, 7 and 9mm zone of inhibition at 2,4,6 and 8µg/ml respectively, followed by L. inermis with a significant antifungal property. While A. indica showed less activity against C. albican at 4mm and 7mm concentrations. No effective antifungal properties were shown by M. ovalifolia and M. arvensis. Conclusions: These selected medicinal plants and their derived compounds could be a significant source of antifungal agents.