Antifungal activities of four Strobilanthes species from northern Western Ghats of India

Abstract

Antifungal activities of leaf and stem of Strobilanthes ixiocephalus, Strobilanthes ciliatus, Strobilanthes sessilis var. ritchiei, Strobilanthes integrifolius were studied for their potential against three fungal species i.e. Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The antifungal activities were evaluated using agar well diffusion method. The strong antifungal activity was observed in the ethanolic and methanolic extracts of all four species than water extract, while the chloroform extract showed complete inhibition of growth. Among the plant species studied, Strobilanthes integrifolius revealed with highest inhibitory activity towards all three fungal species, followed by Strobilanthes ciliatus, Strobilanthes sessilis var. ritchiei and Strobilanthes ixiocephalus. These findings provide scientific evidence to support traditional medicinal uses and have a great significance for the development of an antifungal drug from these Strobilanthes species.