Inhibition of human pathogenic fungi by ethnobotanically selected plant extracts

Summary In this study, 36 extracts derived from 29 plant species selected using an ethnobotanical approach were tested for antifungal activity against a taxonomically diverse group of 13 human pathogenic fungi. We compared the inhibitory characteristics of these plant extracts with those of the comm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mycoses 2003-02, Vol.46 (1-2), p.29-37
Main Authors: Ficker, Christine E., Arnason, J. T., Vindas, P. S., Alvarez, L. P., Akpagana, K., Gbéassor, M., De Souza, C., Smith, M. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphotericin B
antifungal activity
Antifungal Agents - pharmacology
Antimyzetishce Aktivität
Fungi - drug effects
Humans
Medicine, Traditional
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Pflanzen
phytomedicine
Phytomedizin
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
plants
Plants, Medicinal
Zingiber officinale - chemistry
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Summary:Summary In this study, 36 extracts derived from 29 plant species selected using an ethnobotanical approach were tested for antifungal activity against a taxonomically diverse group of 13 human pathogenic fungi. We compared the inhibitory characteristics of these plant extracts with those of the commonly used antifungals, amphotericin B and ketoconazole, and the plant‐derived antifungal, berberine. Several plant extracts, notably those from Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Juglans cinerea (butternut), had pronounced antifungal activity against a wide variety of fungi, including strains that were highly resistant to amphotericin B and ketoconazole. Further exploration of Z. officinale as an antifungal is warranted as this species is generally regarded as safe for human consumption. Zusammenfassung Es wurden 36 Extrakte von 29 Pflanzenarten auf ihre antimyzetische Aktivität gegen 13 humanpathogene Pilzarten untersucht. Die Hemmcharakteristik dieser Pflanzenextrakte wurde mit der von Amphotericin B, Ketoconazol und Berberin verglichen. Mehrere Pflanzenextrakte, besonders die von Zingiber officinale (Ingwer) und Juglans cinerea (Butternuss) zeigten eine deutliche antimyzetische Aktivität gegen ein breites Pilzspektrum einschließlich solcher Stämme, die hochresistent gegen Amphotericin B und Ketoconazol waren. Die weitere Untersuchung der antimyzetischen Aktivität von Z. officinale erscheint vielversprechend, da diese Art allgemein als sicher für menschlichen Konsum angesehen wird.
ISSN:0933-7407
1439-0507
DOI:10.1046/j.1439-0507.2003.00838.x