In vitro study of antifungal effect of carica papaya peel var. California extract against Candida albicans

Abstract

Candida albicans is a normal microflora in the oral cavity which can be an opportunistic pathogen that could cause oral candidiasis when there are underlying predisposing conditions. Papaya as one of the most widely grown herbal plants in Indonesia has been known to cure diseases. Unused papaya peel only became a waste; however, the papaya peel is known to contain active compounds that have antifungal effect, especially raw ones. This study aimed to determine the antifungal effect of raw papaya peel extract of Californian variety and determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of this extract on clinical isolates of C. albicans. This study was an experimental laboratory study with post-test only control group design. Ethanol-based extract of papaya peel was obtained from maceration process using 96% ethanol. Antifungal effect testing was carried out in vitro using disc diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer) on clinical isolates of C. albicans. The concentration of Ethanol extract of papaya peel used consisted of 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 20% with positive control (nystatin) and negative control (distilled water). The results showed that 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 20% papaya peel extracts were able to inhibit the growth of C. albicans with 2.5% concentration of raw papaya peel extract as minimum inhibitory concentration. Ethanol extract of raw papaya peel of Californian variety with 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 20% concentrations has small antifungal effect against clinical isolates of C. albicans.