ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ACALYPHA WILKESIANA LEAVES AGAINST SOME COMMON FUNGI

Kiran Singh* and Zaharadeen Yusuf Fardami

ABSTRACT

Herbal medicine represents one of the most important fields of traditional medicine all over the world. To promote the proper use of herbal medicine and to determine their potential as sources for new drugs, it is essential to study medicinal plants, which have folklore reputation in a more intensified way.This study was carried out to evaluate potentials of Acalypha wilkesiana against common fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. The agar diffusion method was used to screen for antifungal activity. Ditches wells of 5mm diameter were cut on the seeded plates using sterile Cork borer. Each well was filled with 0.1ml of 10, 20 and 30mg/ml of the extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana. The plates were incubated at 270C for 7days and zone of inhibition was plotted. Out of three fungal species, the extract showed dose dependent antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans, while no activity was recorded against Trichophyton mentagrophytes. In all the cases maximum zone of inhibition was recorded in positive control set of experiment, Aspergillus niger, was cecorded more suceptible to extract. Conclusively it can be said that this plant can be used to cure the diseases caused by Aspergillus niger and Candida albican.

Keywords: Acalypha wilkesiana, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Tinea capitis, antifungal activity, ringworm infection etc.