No abstract

Introduction: The Candida species which are opportunistic fungi especially the species of C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis have been causing oral candidiasis. Due to resistance of conventional antifungal agents, the scientists are in verge of exploring novel antifungal drugs such as traditional medicinal plants. Hence we aimed in studying the antifungal effect of Woodfordia fruiticosa and Punicagranatum which are plants of Lythraceae on Candida species. Materials and Methods: The ethanolic extracts of both the plants were prepared using soxhlet extraction method and the obtained metabolites were confirmed by Thin Layer Chromatography. The Paper discs were prepared by Whatman filter paper No. 1 The disc was moistened with 10 μL from the prepared stock solution. Were kept at 4°C for 3 hours for diffusion and incubated for 48 hours. Then the diameters of the circular inhibition zones were measured. Results: The obtained data was expressed as mean and standard deviation. Chloroform fraction of Woodfordia fruticosa showed superior antifungal effect when compared to Punicagranatum peel. Conclusion: The invitro antimicrobial activity of Woodfordia leaf depicted superior antifungal activity against Candida isolates with effective anticandidal effect when compared to Punica peel. In future both of these plants could serve as basis for the new anti-candidal agents.