In vitro,study of Senna alata leaf extract against Dermatophytes

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the in vitro antifungal activity of Senna alata leaf extract on the skin fungi (dermatophytes). The studies on the in vitro investigation of antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of Senna alata L. leaf was carried out. The test was conducted on dermatophytes which included the genera of Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. These fungi are the causative agents of various types of fungal skin diseases (dermatophytosis) which attack various parts of the body and tend to the following conditions, Tinea capitis, Tinea cruris, Tinea corporis and Tinea pedis. The results obtained showed that the leaf ethanol extract of Senna alata had marked antifungal effects on Microsporum canis, Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton fluccosum. The ethanolic extract showed the highest inhibition on Trichophyton rubrum and Epidermophyton fluccosum with 20.50 and 20.00 mm zone of inhibition, respectively. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was also performed and the results showed that the MIC of Senna alata on all the tested dermatophytes was 5.0 mg/ml.