antifungal effect of green tea leaf (camellia sinensis) polyphenols on candida albicans

objective: in this study the susceptibility of candida albicans to inhibitory effect of polyphenols under varying time (24 and 48 hours) conditions were evaluated. materials and methods: green tea leaf polyphenols were extracted and analyzed by chromatography. among polyphenols, catechin showed stronger antifungal activity against c. albicans ptcc-5027. catechin's mic90 (the concentration of catechin causing 90% growth inhibition of tested strain of c. albicans) and mfc (the minimum antifungal susceptibility of catechin) were determined by macro dilution test and calculation after 24 and 48 hours. results: the antifungal activity of catechin was time dependent. catechin's mic for 0.5×10³, 1×10³ and 2×10³ cells/ml was 12.5, 25 and 100 mg/ml after 24h respectively. the results after 48h for 0.5×10³, 1×10³ and 2×10³ cells/ml were 6.25, 12.5 and 25 mg/ml respectively. fluconazol was tested on c. albicans ptcc-5027 and the results indicated that this strain of candida is fluconazol resistant. data shown are from three separate experiments and were analysed statistically. conclusion: c. albicans ptcc-5027 is fluconazol resistant, however green tea leaf polyphenols especially catechin could inhibit the growth of this yeast at mic and mfc concentrations. on the basis of the obtained results the green tea leaf contains effective antifungal components. since the common and generic antifungal drugs possess some side effects and also there is an increasing drug resistance, it is hoped that consumption of herbal drugs may help to cure fungal diseases and to avoid the side effects of antimycotics as a good replacement.