Anticandidal activity and phytochemical analysis of certain medicinal plants from Eastern Ghats, India

Abstract

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">The ethno-medico-botanical studies in Eastern Ghats provided an evidence for the tribal claims on the usage of medicinal plants for various human infectious diseases. The present investigation focused on the anticandidal activity of certain medicinal plants used for infectious diseases. The plant samples were extracted with solvents initially with petroleum ether followed by ethyl acetate and ethyl alcohol and the extracts were tested for anticandidal activity. The results indicated that, the extracts of twenty three medicinal plants significantly inhibited the growth of the test pathogen. The details of anticandidal activity, Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of active extracts and their phytochemical analysis with respect to alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, terpenes, saponins and essential oils were provided. The plants namely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Andrographis nallamalayana</i> Ellis<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">, Boswellia ovalifoliolata</i> Bal. et Henry<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Crotalaria madurensis </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">var<i>. kurnoolica</i> Ellis et Swaminathan<i>, </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Hedychium coronarium</i> Koeing<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">, Pterocarpus santalinus</i> L.f.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">, Shorea tumbuggaia</i> Roxb.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">, Tylophora fasciculata</i> Buch.-Ham. ex Wight<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>were endemic and their extracts exhibited significant anticandidal activity. </span></span>