Determination of the anti- fungal activity of five medicinal plants against selected medically important fungi

Date

10-2005

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Major Course

Major in Microbiology

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Bernadette C. Mendoza

Co-adviser

Lourdes B. Cardenas

Abstract

PADERON, MARIA JOAN ONGOSE. 2005. Determination of the Anti-Fungal Activity of Five Medicinal Plants Against Selected Medically Important Fungi. University of the Philippines Los Banos. B.S. Biology major in Microbiology.

Advisers: Dr. Bernadette C. Mendoza Dr. Lourdes B. Cardenas ABSTRACT The anti-fungal activity of five locally available medicinal plants (akapulko. basil. caballero, guava and garlic) against selected medically important fungi was determined using the Disk Diffusion Assay (Kirby-Bauer Method). The medically important fungi tested included Aspergillus niger. Rhizopus stolonifer and 22 strains of Candida species (19 of \N hich sere clinical strains: three sere reference strains) consisting of seven species, namely; C. albicans. C. parupsilosis. C guillermondii. C. lusiianiae, C. krusei, C. stellatoidea and C. iropicalis. Two types of plant preparations were made: concentrated extract and decoction. The viable counts of the suspensions prepared from the fungal test organisms were determined prior to assay. The average count was 5.82 x 10' colony forming units (CFU)/ml for the Candida species while it was 7.30 x 106 CFU/ml for the molds. Of the five medicinal plants tested. only garlic (extract) exhibited an anti-fungal activity and this was against all the fungal organisms tested. No anti-fungal activity was manifested by either the extracts or plant decoctions of akapulko, basil, caballero and guava. Mycostatin (10,000 units/nil) and sterile distilled water were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The average diameter of the zones of inhibition (ZOl) exerted by the garlic extract on the 22 strains of Candida was 14.7 mm. This was, however, lower than the 17.7 mm observed for mycostatin. It appeared that mycostatin, at the concentration applied, was still more inhibitory to the Candida species than the garlic extract. It was also noted that the clinical strains of Candida had a slightly lower average ZOl diameter of 14.2mm compared to that of the reference strains (17.4 mm). With reference to the Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer strains tested t garlic extract appeared to be more inhibitory than mycostatin. Average ZOl diameter was 25 mm for the garlic extract and was 18.8 mm only for mycostatin. Upon determination of the potential mutagenic properties of the garlic extract using the Ames Test, there was either lower or no count of revertants of Salmonella typhimurium TA 100 (the test organism). The garlic extract could have been highly inhibitory as to be lethal to the test organism. The mutagenic potential of the garlic preparation used could not, thus, be accurately evaluated.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

Thesis

Document Type

Thesis

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