In vitro Antifungal Activity of Crude Extracts from Commelina benghalensis and Senna alata on Selected Dermatophytes

Abstract

Fungal infections of the skin, hair and nails represent a growing public health challenge due to their high global prevalence, the emergence of antifungal resistance, and the potential for severe, even fatal, complications in immunocompromised individuals. The World Health Organization (WHO) encourages research into traditional and alternative medicines, including the use of medicinal plants, as part of its broader strategy to integrate safe and effective traditional medicine into national health systems. Commelina benghalensis and Senna alata are two medicinal plants, which are used traditionally to treat dermatophyte infections, but lack scientific validation. This study sought to investigate the in vitro antifungal activity of Commelina benghalensis and Senna alata extracts on selected dermatophytes. Ethanol extracts of C. benghalensis and S. alata were obtained by maceration in 95% ethanol. The as-prepared extracts were successively partitioned to afford hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and last water extracts. Antifungal activity of the plant extracts was determined using the agar diffusion method. Phytochemical screening and antioxidant effects of the most promising antifungal extracts were determined using standard methods. The acute oral toxicity of the most promising extract was evaluated in mice. The yields of plant extraction ranged from 3.89 to 21.50%. Hexane extracts from S. alata (FH-CA) and C. benghalensis (FH-CB) were found to be the most active antifungal extracts with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 2.5 mg/mL to 5 mg/mL and mean inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) varying from 1.44 ± 0.16 to 4.96±0.69 mg/mL on T. mentagrophytes and M. audouini. According to the MIC and MFC values, FH-CA and FH-CB extracts (MICs : 2.5 and 5 mg/mL, respectively) revealed fungicidal and fungistatic effects on T. mentagrophytes. The most active extracts@ FH-CA and FH-CB exhibited antioxidant activity by scavenging the free radicals of DPPH and ABTS. The phytochemical screening of plant extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, steroids, triterpenes and phenolic compounds. The oral administration of a single dose of the most active extract at 2000 mg/kg revealed non toxicity to albino mice. The mean lethal dose (DL50) was found to be greater than 2000 mg/kg. This novel contribution demonstrates the antifungal activity of extracts from S. alata and C. benghalensis on Trichophyton and Microsporum species. These plants can be further exploited in the identification of antifungal compounds amenable for drug discovery.