Antifungal activity of some medicinal plants used in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Development of more effective and less toxic antifungal agents is required for the treatment of dermatophytosis. Plants and their extraction preparations have been used as medicines against infectious diseases. In this research, the lemon grass [Cymbopogon citrates DC.) Stapf.], lantana (Lantana camara L.), nerium (Nerium oleander L.), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and olive leaves (Olea europaea L.) were extracted with either water or different organic solvent to investigate their antifungal activities in vitro. The methanol extract of lemon grass, lanta and nerium followed by their ethyl acetate extracts showed the highest activities against Trichophyton rubrum. These inhibited the growth of T. rubrum by 85-90 and 8085%, respectively at a concentration of 100 μg ml, while aqueous extracts inhibited the growth of this fungus at the same concentration by 32-77%. The activity of the methanolic extracts of the 5 selected plants was determined against different pathogenic fungi including Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes. Extracts of lemon grass were the most effective followed by lantana. . Nerium and basil showed moderate activities. The lowest activity was recorded for olive extract. The five dermatophytes differed with regard to their susceptibility to plant extracts. Trichophyton rubrum was the most susceptible dermatophyte, followed by Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes, respectively. The MICs of these most active plants ranged from 25 to 125 μg ml. In conclusion, ethanolic extracts of some medicinal plants can be used to treat infections with pathogenic fungi.